The Portland-based utility that provides power to Eastern Washington communities near the Tri-Cities is preparing to exit the state and hand its market share to another Pacific Northwest company.
Bonneville Power Administration officials are feeling more optimistic about the power provider’s finances for 2026 than at this time last year, but still anticipate challenges ahead.
Columbia Generating Station was shutdown early in the morning of Feb. 12 after operators found issues with the pumps circulating water through the reactor’s core.
A U.S. company that a year ago revealed its plans to potentially make Richland one of its hubs for nuclear fuel production will use a dormant Hanford site facility located southwest of Energy Northwest as part of that effort.
Hermiston is featured in a recent study asserting Amazon’s data centers aren’t negatively affecting energy resources in the communities where they’re located and are instead actually lowering costs for residents and bringing other economic benefits.
With data centers expected to become the largest source of electricity demand in the Pacific Northwest, Washington legislators are pressing ahead with a bill aimed at protecting the grid and offsetting potential hikes for utility ratepayers.
The federal government may have pulled out of an agreement that could have led to removal of the four Lower Snake River dams, but the state continues to evaluate how their removal in the future could impact transportation networks.
John Hairston, who has served as the administrator of Bonneville Power Authority for the past five years and led recent efforts to modernize and expand its transmission infrastructure and operations, has announced his retirement.
