Electricity
Latest Stories

FBI warns of neo-Nazi plots as attacks on Northwest power grid spike
As a string of attacks on electrical substations unfolded in Oregon and Washington in 2022, the FBI was warning utilities of white supremacists’ plots to take down the nation’s power grid. An investigation by OPB and Washington public media station KUOW reveals the scope of the threat to the Northwest grid.

PGE, Pacific Power electricity rates increase Jan. 1
Oregon’s utility regulator on Thursday announced approved rate increases for Portland General Electric and Pacific Power customers, citing increased costs to produce and purchase electricity.
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Why transforming the grid is critical to Oregon’s clean-energy future
Building more wind farms and buying more electric vehicles won't get carbon off the power grid unless we fix the grid itself. Experts say the grid needs to be modernized to be able to handle the clean-energy transition.
South Salem neighborhood to get the state’s first communitywide microgrid
A new effort is underway to ensure the lights stay on in Southeast Salem during a power outage. The city is expected to complete construction of a community microgrid by late 2023.

Can Oregon, Washington and British Columbia learn to share renewable power?
Sharing renewable electricity across long distances is among the most cost-effective strategies for slashing carbon emissions. Getting there will take local action as well as immediate upgrades across the region. Yet grid upgrades are regularly delayed for a decade or more by community opposition and interstate disputes.
Oregon utilities pledge rapid progress on power failures, but restoration could linger in hardest hit areas
Nearly 70,000 Oregon customers remained in the dark as of Friday morning. PGE says about 15,000 customers can expect prolonged outages into the weekend or beyond.
Oregon digs out as temperatures climb; close to 150,000 still without electricity
Close to 150,000 power customers were still without electricity Wednesday evening, as residents of the state got creative about staying warm indoors, tossed refrigerated food gone bad, and watched once-icy streets fill with water and slush.
Utilities say lessons from historic storm will have to wait, as scientists, politicians eye climate change
It's been 60 years since Oregon last saw such sweeping power outages.

An Oregon City Braces For Legal Pot To Drive Up Electricity Costs
Oregon's city and county leaders are scrambling to understand how electricity supplies will be affected by power-hogging indoor marijuana growers after recreational pot becomes legal in the state.