Avista advances clean electricity goals through hydropower contract with Chelan PUD

A new contract between Chelan County Public Utility District (PUD) and Avista will see the company’s zero-carbon energy portfolio boosted by two PUD hydropower projects on the Columbia River.

Avista already had a contract in place for 5 percent of the hydropower output from the two PUD projects. As a result of this new arrangement, Avista will gain another 5 percent of the output from the PUD’s Rock Island and Rocky Reach projects, beginning in 2024 and ending in 2033. PUD had submitted the suggestion as part of Avista’s 2020 Renewables Request for Proposals (RFP) for clean renewable energy.

“Avista was founded on renewable hydropower more than 130 years ago,” Jason Thackston, Avista’s senior vice president of energy resources, said. “We are proud to partner with Chelan PUD to bring more clean, reliable, and affordable energy to our customers. This brings us closer to our goal to serve customers with 100 percent clean electricity by 2045 and 100 percent carbon neutral resources by 2027.”

For the PUD, the move puts its relationship with Avista more in line with its long term power marketing strategy, which calls for longer, 10-year contracts to better benefit its customers.

“We’re pleased with the collaborative approach during our negotiations with Avista as we work to deliver more renewable energy to its customers in support of a healthy environment and strong economy in the Pacific Northwest,” PUD General Manager Steve Wright said.

As Avista recently filed its 2021 Electric Integrated Resource Plan for Washington and Idaho, this plan will have to be updated to reflect this new contract. Additional contracts may also arise as Avista continues to solicit proposals for its 2020 RFP.