Governor Kotek Calls on PUC to Deliver Energy Affordability and Fairness for Oregonians

Salem, OR – Today, Governor Tina Kotek held a press conference to outline the impacts of the Protecting Oregonians With Energy Responsibility (POWER) Act, landmark legislation signed by the Governor in 2025 to protect Oregonians from rising electricity costs due to data centers and other large energy users. The Oregon Public Utility Commission (PUC) will be considering their first rate change proposal under the POWER Act on July 7.

“Too many Oregonians are struggling with high energy bills,” Governor Kotek said. “The POWER Act ensures that households and small businesses – not data centers – come first. By requiring large energy users to pay their fair share of the costs they impose on the electric grid, we are taking concrete steps to keep electricity reliable and affordable for Oregonians.”

The POWER Act directs the PUC to establish new rates for data centers and other large energy users that reflect the costs those facilities impose on the electric grid. The POWER Act was intended to ensure that the costs of serving the energy needs of data centers are not shifted onto residential and commercial energy customers. Next week, the PUC will be considering a proposal to increase rates for large data centers by 29% and decrease rates for most residential and other business customers. In the long-term, the POWER Act is intended to slow upward pressures on residential and small business customer rates resulting from data center development.

“Today is about something that matters to every Oregonian: keeping electricity affordable while building the reliable, clean energy system our future depends on,” Nora Apter, Oregon Director of Climate Solutions, said. “The POWER Act puts us on a different path by establishing a simple principle: data center growth shouldn't come at the expense of Oregon families or our clean energy future. Oregon was the first state in the nation to adopt this kind of framework. That is innovative leadership worth celebrating.”

“I’m sure the data centers won’t be happy with the rate hikes they’ll see under the POWER Act, but this is what’s right for Oregonians,” Citizens’ Utility Board Executive Director Bob Jenks said. “Asking Oregonians who are on the front line of energy affordability to pay the costs our utilities incur to serve data centers is unacceptable. With the POWER Act, Oregon has rejected that idea.”

“For most people, a utility bill may be just another monthly expense. But for many older Oregonians, especially those living on fixed incomes, it can mean cutting down on food or skipping lifesaving medication to keep the lights on,” Bandana Shrestha, State Director of AARP Oregon, said. “Utility affordability matters. Fairness matters. AARP supports the POWER Act because it establishes a straightforward consumer protection principle: that the costs and risks created by large electricity users should be borne by those users, not shifted to working families and older Oregonians.”

For a photo of the event, see here.