Two Sales Announced for Pacific Northwest Utilities

Posted on February 26, 2026 by Charlotte Shuff
Tags, Energy, General Interest

Utilities in the Pacific Northwest are ending February with a bang! In an unprecedented week, two different for-profit electric utilities announced they are selling their service area.

At the start of last week, Pacific Power announced a sale of its Washington branch to Portland General Electric (PGE). And later that week, Idaho Power announced a sale of its Oregon branch to the nonprofit Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative.

While these sales have to be approved by regulators in Oregon and the related states, these are two massive changes.

Pacific Power to Sell Washington Territory to PGE

Portland General Electric, along with an additional investor, Manulife IM, has announced its purchase of Pacific Power’s Washington service area, owned by parent company PacifiCorp.

What is Included in the Sale

140,000 Washington customers
Local power grids in Washington
800 MW of power generation (one gas plant and two wind farms)

Regulators Must Sign Off

Before the sale is finalized, it has to be approved by the Oregon Public Utility Commission and the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission. Likely, the regulators will need to weigh in from PacifiCorp’s other states: Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, and California.

In Oregon, the process is likely to take about a year for the Commission to make a decision on whether this sale can move forward. Regulators in other states will be looking at this sale simultaneously, though timelines may vary.

This Sale Will Impact Customers Across the Pacific Northwest

Because of the long review process, no Pacific Power or PGE customers will see any impact immediately. Any changes from the sale, if approved, are unlikely to take effect until 2027 at the earliest.

However, PGE’s purchase of PacifiCorp’s Washington service territory is a huge deal that will impact customers across the Pacific Northwest. CUB is going to look closely at this deal and Manulife IM as a partner of PGE.

We also need to take a close look at how this will impact Pacific Power customers in Oregon because this change will impact PacifiCorp’s whole system. As a multistate utility, PacifiCorp selling generation in Washington could have a ripple effect in not just Oregon, but also Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, and California.

CUB will be involved at every stage of this sale. A change this big will need to be planned with customers’ impacts at the top of mind.

Idaho Power to Sell Oregon Territory to Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative

Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative (OTEC) has announced its purchase of Idaho Power’s Oregon service area. Idaho Power currently serves a small area around Ontario, Oregon. To CUB’s knowledge, this is the first voluntary sale of a for-profit utility to a consumer-owned utility in Oregon.

What is Included in the Sale

20,000 Oregon customers
Local power grids in Oregon

Regulators Must Sign Off

Before the sale is finalized, it has to be approved by the Oregon Public Utility Commission, the Idaho Public Utilities Commission, and FERC. In Oregon, the process is likely to take about a year for the Commission to make a decision on whether this sale can move forward. Other regulators will be looking at this sale simultaneously, though timelines may vary.

If the sale is approved, Idaho Power customers in Oregon will no longer be overseen by the Oregon Public Utility Commission. Municipal utilities, like co-ops, are not regulated by the state agency. Instead, local governing boards oversee these utilities.

This Sale Could be a Win for Oregon’s Idaho Power Customers

Because of the long review process, no Idaho Power customers will see any impact immediately. Any changes from the sale, if approved, are unlikely to take effect until 2027 at the earliest.

Idaho Power customers in Oregon would likely see a decrease in billing rates with a move to Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative. Overall, consumer-owned utilities, like co-ops or municipal utilities, charge lower energy bills compared to for-profit utilities. This is because of special contracts with the Bonneville Power Administration and Oregon’s abundant (and cheap) hydroelectric power. It is also because customers of non-profit utilities do not need to pay premiums for shareholders, like with for-profit utilities.

There are still questions about the impact of this sale on the consumer protections Idaho Power is required to offer. There could be big changes to existing bill discount programs and upcoming debt forgiveness programs that Idaho Power must roll out this fall. Because Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative is locally overseen, these protections cannot be mandated by the Oregon Public Utility Commission.

CUB will be involved at every stage of this sale. A change this big will need to be planned with customers’ impacts at the top of mind.

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