So Good To Be Back At The Fair!!!
After a three year COVID-hiatus, the Grays Harbor PUD’s return to the Grays Harbor County Fair was both a joy and a success. Any opportunity to put a public face to the organization, answer customers questions, and provide utility information, is time well spent. When it marks the unofficial end of a public health fueled separation, it becomes even more significant. Fair goers by the hundreds visited the PUD booth, spun the always popular prize wheel, witnessed the power of electricity through the PUD Arc Demonstration Trailer, and learned about the PUD fiber network. But most importantly, the fair was a chance to meet the staff who make the PUD work and learn about the utility and the importance of public power to the Grays Harbor community. Thanks for stopping by and see you next year.
Cost of Dam Removal Threatens PUD Mission to Customers
Last month a report from Sen. Patty Murray and Gov. Jay Inslee confirmed what we in the energy industry have known for years: that the Lower Snake River Dams are a vital part of the Pacific Northwest’s energy grid. While the dams may be on the other side of the state, they still play a key role in fulfilling the Grays Harbor PUD’s mission of quality service at a practical cost.
As a non-generating utility, the PUD purchases all your electrical energy from outside agencies, mostly from the Bonneville Power Administration. Hydroelectricity provides over 85% of your energy at one of the lowest generation costs in the United States. Also, the dams’ ability to flexibly ramp up and down when customer needs change make it a very reliable source of power. Those two factors help the PUD deliver on its mission to you of valuable services at the lowest practical cost.
When assessing possible replacements of the hydroelectricity provided by dams on the Lower Snake River, the current options have shortcomings that undermine the PUD mission. Wind and solar energy fall well short of hydro when it comes to reliability; the wind is often calm during the hottest and coldest spells and of course the sun does not shine in the evening, when home energy needs are highest.
Replacement generation would be very costly, large and visible, and likely need additional transmission lines to deliver bulk energy to utilities and customers. Studies conducted by dam opponents have put the additional cost at $10-27 billion. Those costs would be passed to utilities and then would increase your monthly bills. As technology advances, the additional costs and gaps in reliability will lessen. Until then, removal of hydroelectric resources without equivalent, cost effective replacement generation flies in the face of the PUD mission. The Murray-Inslee report acknowledges this fact, which I hope is heard loud and clear by our customers and partners in and around the energy industry.
By General Manager Schuyler Burkhart
Commission Meeting Dates
Meetings are held in the Nichols Building, 220 Myrtle Street, Hoquiam.
September 2022
Tuesday—September 6
Monday—September 19
October 2022
Monday—October 3
Monday—October 17
Utility workshops are held at 3:30 pm. Regular business meetings are scheduled to begin at the conclusion of the utility workshop. Public comment periods are included at the open and close of every meeting.
Commission meetings may be cancelled and special meetings may be scheduled. Commission meetings are open to public attendance. Those who wish to attend virtually may do so. For more information, go to www.www.ghpud.org.