Hundreds of thousands of Oregonians who pay Portland General Electric for electricity could see their bills rise next year under a new rate proposal from the state’s largest private electric utility.
PGE announced Friday they would seek approval from the Oregon Public Utility Commission — a three-person governor-appointed group charged with regulating the rates of privately owned electric and gas companies in the state — for a nearly 5% overall rate increase across customer classes.
Residential customers would see a nearly 4% increase, which would add an average of about $8 to monthly bills by July 1, 2027. It would be the eighth year in a row the utility has raised customer rates, which are today collectively up 50% for residential customers from just five years ago…