Oregon Approves 29.7% PGE Data Center Rate Hike as Residential Bills Fall 1.3%
Updated
Updated · KATU · Jul 7
Oregon Approves 29.7% PGE Data Center Rate Hike as Residential Bills Fall 1.3%
3 articles · Updated · KATU · Jul 7
Summary
The Oregon Public Utility Commission approved Portland General Electric's POWER Act plan, cutting residential rates 1.3% and commercial rates 2.1% while raising data center rates 29.7%.
The shift follows a grid study required by the 2025 law, which carved data centers out of the industrial class and assigned them more of the cost of grid upgrades tied to surging power demand.
Average residential customers will save about $1.91 per billing cycle, and consumer advocates estimate non-data-center PGE customers could avoid roughly $900 million in costs over 30 years.
The new rates were recalculated from PGE's 5.6% increase that took effect in January 2025, but the law is not retroactive, so customers will not be reimbursed for earlier higher bills.
Data centers are expected to challenge the law in court, setting up the next test for Oregon's effort to shield other customers after two years of record-high PGE rate hikes.