Avista customers in Idaho and Washington could see a more than 13 percent increase in electric rates and between 4 and 6 percent more for natural gas costs.
Avista spokesperson Debbie Simock says the utility on Tuesday filed requests with regulators in both states to help cover the costs of producing and delivering energy, as well as on-going capital investments to upgrade aging infrastructure.
Avista’s Debbie Simock explains the factors behind the rate requests.
In Idaho, Avista is requesting an overall electric rate increase of 13.1 percent and an overall 4.1 percent increase in natural gas rates. Washington customers could see electric rates jump 13.4 percent and natural gas rates increase 6 percent.
Included in the rate filings are infrastructure improvements, such as poles and transformers, as well as power supply costs, or the cost of generating and purchasing power to serve customers, which continue to increase year-over-year.
Simock comments on increased infrastructure and contract costs.
The Idaho Public Utilities Commission has up to seven months, and the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission has up to 11 months to review the respective filings. Avista serves more than 122,000 electric and 74,000 natural gas customers in Idaho, and more than 234,000 electric and 147,000 natural gas customers in Washington.
