Avista Corporation seeks to raise electric and natural gas rates in Washington over the next two years.
The Spokane-based utility on Tuesday filed a request with the state Utilities and Transportation Commission to raise average electric bills by 9.8 percent as of April 2020, and 3.9 percent a year later. Avista also wants to up residential natural gas rates by nearly 10 percent in 2020, and 5 percent in 2021.
The utility says the increases would pay for investment, infrastructure, maintenance, and technology costs. Projects listed in the company’s UTC filing include inspecting and replacing thousands of power poles as well as natural gas pipe, enhancing cybersecurity, and upgrading transmission lines, electric turbines and generators in Avista’s century-old Little Falls Dam.
If commissioners approve the proposed increases, Avista wouldn’t file another rate case for two years.
The UTC has up to 11 months to review Avista’s request, a time frame that would include opportunity for public comment.
Avista had put rate increases on hold while it pursued a since-abandoned sale to a Canadian company.
Avista serves more than 254,000 electric and 197,000 natural-gas customers in Washington. (Spokesman-Review)
