June Newsletter

By Sara Burleson | 06/16/2026

Webinar: What You Need to Know About the 9th Northwest Regional Power Plan

The Northwest Power and Conservation Council is currently developing the 9th Northwest Regional Power Plan. A draft is expected mid-July. On June 9 we held a webinar about the power plan, why it’s important to help ensure our region has a clean, affordable, and reliable energy future, and how you can get involved.

Northwest Transmission Summit

Thank you so much to everyone who joined us in Boise last month for our first-ever transmission summit! 130 stakeholders from across the region joined us at the Boise Centre for a deep dive into how we can build a prosperous future for all of us.

Save the Date: NWEC Fall Conference

October 15, 2026, University of Washington HUB, Seattle, Washington

New NWEC Members

Welcome to our new members: NOSO Environmental, Zero Coalition, and Iron Workers District Council of the Pacific Northwest!

Federal and Regional Updates

The Extended Day-Ahead Market is Here!

May 1 was a momentous day for affordable, reliable, and clean energy in the Northwest and beyond.

After years of planning and processes, the Extended Day-Ahead Market went live, with Northwest utilities leading the way. As the first entity to be part of the market, PacifiCorp builds upon decades of trading power with entities across the West and is paving the way for other utilities to join. Portland General Electric is expected to be the next entity to go live in October.

Washington

Utility Updates: Another Day, Another Adjudication

NWEC is currently intervened in three litigated cases in Washington.

Puget Sound Energy (PSE) General Rate Case: PSE recently filed its 2026 general rate case in UTC dockets UE-260005/UG-260006 , proposing a 3-year multiyear rate plan. Represented by Earthjustice, the “Joint Environmental Advocates”—NWEC, Front and Centered, the Sierra Club, Climate Solutions, and Washington Conservation Action—will help PSE advance its equitable transition away from fossil fuels in a way that is affordable and consistent with state policy. The case is underway with testimony due over the summer and it is expected to be suspended in January 2027.

Portland General Electric’s (PGE) Acquisition of PacifiCorp’s (PAC) WA Territory: NWEC is jointly intervening with The Energy Project and represented by Shute, Mihaly, and Weinberger LLP in the PGE-PAC acquisition proceeding in UTC docket UE-260208. PGE proposed to acquire PAC’s Washington service area, including approximately 140,000 customers, for $1.9 billion. NWEC and The Energy Project are participating to help ensure the acquisition delivers a net benefit to customers, upholds the standards set in the Clean Energy Transformation Act, and results in robust customer-focused programs. The proceeding schedule is yet to be finalized.

Department of Energy (DOE) TransAlta Litigation: NWEC, Climate Solutions, Washington Conservation Action, Sierra Club, and Environmental Defense Fund, represented by Earthjustice, recently filed a challenge in federal court to overturn an illegal emergency order issued by the DOE forcing Washington’s last coal plant to continue operating.

Oregon

Oregon Data Centers Now Have to Pay Their Own Way

A new order by the Oregon Public Utility Commission creates a new rate class for new data centers above 20 MW—implementing the POWER Act (HB 3546) that passed last year in Oregon. It includes connection and power acquisition requirements and a 1 cent/kWh ($10/MWh) surcharge for “above cost effective” residential energy efficiency to compensate for the extra burden data centers put on the system and especially energy burdened customers. PGE will file new rates on June 3 going into effect in mid-June. The PAC proceeding is still underway and their data center class will start in 2028.

NWEC Staff Member Joins Wildfire Program Advisory Council

We are proud to announce that NWEC’s Policy Associate Alessandra de la Torre was appointed to the Wildfire Programs Advisory Council  as the environmental justice community representative. She recently traveled to Sisters, Oregon in Deschutes County for the first-ever in-person Council meeting and toured sites from the Flat Fire in 2025. During the trip, she learned about the preparation and coordination for fire response across the state, as well as new county and city-wide efforts for defensible space and home hardening. This Council is responsible for monitoring the progress of wildfire programs, advising and supporting the Wildfire Programs Director, and submitting an annual report each October to the Governor and the appropriate committees or interim committees of the Oregon Legislative Assembly.

Montana

NorthWestern Energy and Black Hills Energy Merger

We (NWEC, Montana Renewable Energy Association and Renewable Northwest) have tentatively reached a settlement with NorthWestern and Black Hills Energy in their merger filing. While we were unable to secure much in the way of iron-clad commitments to renewable energy or future rates, we were able to secure a seat at the table on future Integrated Resource Plan technical working groups, a deeper dive into demand-side management (DSM) opportunities, and inclusion of distributed energy resources in future planning and stakeholder processes. Other intervening parties have also reached settlement with the utilities that will result in protecting customers from paying for direct costs associated with the merger. Other intervenors are still contesting the merger, and it will be up to the Public Service Commission to determine whether to approve or reject the merger, with or without the settlement agreements.