Bonneville Opens Expedited Rate Case to Recover 250 Million Dollars

The Bonneville Power Administration has opened an expedited rate proceeding, designated BP-27, to recover roughly $250 million through new power rate adjustment mechanisms, which would raise the average effective Priority Firm Non-Slice power rate by 6.3 percent. The notice was published in the Federal Register of September 17, 2026 (Vol. 91, No. 179, Notices) under the official reference FR Doc. 2026-19050 and BPA File No. BP-27. The proceeding responds to a March 2, 2026 injunction issued by the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon over Columbia and Snake river fish operations.

The Bonneville Power Administration, a power marketing administration of the Department of Energy, must establish its rates through a section 7(i) proceeding based on the record of a formal hearing, as required by the Pacific Northwest Electric Power Planning and Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 839e(i)). The expedited track is provided for by sections 1010.4(b)(4) and 1010.22 of BPA’s Rules of Procedure, published at 83 FR 39993 (Aug. 13, 2018), and the Administrator has authorized the Hearing Officer to waive procedural requirements under section 1010.1(e). The BP-26 power and transmission rates were approved on a final basis by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on February 19, 2026, and Bonneville is not otherwise revising them.

What the adjustment would cost

The proposed mechanisms are expected to recover an additional $250 million from power rates, with these average effective increases:

• 6.3 percent for the Priority Firm Non-Slice power rate.
• 5.3 percent for the Industrial Firm power rate.
• 2.2 percent for the New Resources Firm power rate.

The revisions are limited to adding the Court-Ordered Operation Rate Adder (COORA) and the COORA True-Up to section II.AD of the Wholesale Power Rate Schedules and General Rate Schedule Provisions for the remainder of the BP-26 rate period.

The court order behind the case

Bonneville is acting to address the financial impact of the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon’s Amended Preliminary Injunction Order, ECF No. 2674, in NWF, et al. v. NMFS, et al., Case No. 3:01-cv-640-SI, issued March 2, 2026. The underlying lawsuit was filed by the National Wildlife Federation, a coalition of fishing and environmental groups, and the State of Oregon. Bonneville states it is already being negatively impacted by the court order, which is why the mechanism must take effect as soon as practicable.

Products affected and procedural calendar

The mechanisms would apply to the following products and rates:

• PF-26 Rate Schedule products: Load Following, Block, and the Block portion of Slice/Block.
• Power purchased at the PF Melded Rate (PF-26), the Industrial Firm Power Rate (IP-26) and the New Resource Firm Power Rate (NR-26).
• Adjustments to the PF Tier 1 Equivalent Energy Rates (GRSP II.AA), the Load Shaping Charge True-Up Rate (GRSP II.E, Section 1) and the PF Melded Equivalent Energy Scalar Rate (GRSP II.R, Section 1(c)).

Key dates set out in the notice:

• October 5, 2026, 9 a.m.: prehearing conference via WebEx, and release of the initial proposal.
• October 6, 2026, 4:30 p.m. Pacific Prevailing Time: deadline for petitions to intervene.
• October 19, 2026: deadline for written comments by non-party participants to be considered in the Administrator’s Record of Decision.

Bonneville is assessing environmental effects separately under the National Environmental Policy Act, and believes the proposal may fall within Categorical Exclusion B4.3 at 10 CFR part 1021, Appendix B. The document was signed on September 10, 2026 by Travis R. Kavulla, Administrator and Chief Executive Officer of the Bonneville Power Administration, and submitted for publication by Treena V. Garrett, Federal Register Liaison Officer of the Department of Energy. Sarah E. Burczak, Power Rates Manager, is the official responsible for developing the power rates, and Elissa Haley of BPA Communications is the contact for further information.

The outcome matters well beyond the Pacific Northwest: the BP-27 record will be certified to the Administrator, whose Final Record of Decision must then go to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for confirmation and approval, meaning the 6.3 percent increase facing utilities and their customers could be locked in for the remainder of the BP-26 rate period.

Source: Federal Register, Vol. 91, No. 179, September 17, 2026, Notices (official reference: FR Doc. 2026-19050).