Utility Formation in the Pacific Northwest and beyond

1
Utility Formation in the Pacific Northwest (and
beyond)

• Margaret (Margie) Schaff
• Energy Director
• Affiliated Tribes of NW Indians
• Schaff Clark-Deschene, LLC
• [phone]
• Mschaff_at_att.net

2
Existing Tribal Utilities in the Pacific
Northwest (Bonneville Power Customers)

• Mission Valley Power (Salish and Kootenai -
  Flathead Reservation, MT)
• Yakama Power (Yakama, WA)
• Umpqua Indian Utility Cooperative (Cow Creek Band
  of Umpqua Tribe of Indians, OR) See White Paper

3
A Number of Additional New Utilities are Expected
to Form Next 5-10 Years

• Growth of tribal economies and business
  developments
• Tribes with other energy interests (dam
  relicensing, biomass, transmission, renewables,
  rates issues)
• Targeted utility programs can be housed under a
  tribal utility
• New utility policies of Bonneville Power
  Administration for allocation and delivery of
  wholesale power 2011-2029

4
Key Bonneville Policies

• Bonneville sells wholesale power from federal
  dams.
• Wholesale power from federal dams already
  services many tribes and other service providers
  are generally low cost
• Bonneville instituting tiered rates
  2011-2029/High Water Marks for customer power
  allocations
• Tier 1 Bonneville power for new publics (priced
  at cost of federal system)
• Total of 250MW available for new publics (50MW
  limit every 2 years/rate period)
• Exception to 50 MW limit for new small utilities
  (under 10 MW)
• 40 MW available for tribal utility load growth
• Some transmission assistance, but issues remain
• Tier 2 Power - Market based rate

5
Other Regional Electric Issues and Opportunities

• Salmon -Biological Opinion
• Tribal Renewable Efforts
• Economic Development Intertribal Treaty
• State Renewable Portfolio Standards
• Growth in Tribal Biomass Projects
• New Regional Transmission

6
New Regional Transmission
Graphics compliments of BPA