Outage Map
The Path Forward in 2025
Last month’s Oregon Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s annual meeting brought board directors and management from the trade organization’s 18 cooperatives to Salem to cover the big topics facing our industry. While multiple challenges are clear, their outcomes look as murky as the thick fog enshrouding the capital city that week.
A new presidential administration and the 119th U.S. Congress will reprioritize policy and regulatory objectives on various issues. For electric cooperatives that rely on Bonneville Power Administration for wholesale electricity, the fate of the lower Snake River dams has consequential long-term implications.
As 1 of the outcomes of an agreement between the federal government and plaintiffs in 2023, the U.S. Department of Energy announced a formal study effort, including the prospect of breaching the 4 lower Snake River dams.
These dams play a vital role in the region. With the ability to generate 3,000 megawatts— enough carbon-free energy to power a city roughly the size of Seattle—they keep the lights on during extreme weather events. Replacing this hydropower with alternative sources would increase consumer electricity costs and risk grid reliability.
With the Northwest’s growing demand for power and ever-increasing reliance on intermittent energy resources, such as wind and solar, there is no good time to remove a carbon-free, reliable baseload resource that firms the renewable power as we work toward Oregon’s climate goals.
Public power throughout the Northwest will engage with the new administration, members of Congress, and the appropriate federal agencies to advocate for a more balanced approach to allow the dams and fish to coexist successfully.
In 2024, Oregon faced a record-breaking wildfire season. More than 1.9 million acres burned at an estimated cost of $350 million—the most expensive in the state’s history. Portions of Central Electric Cooperative’s (CEC) 5,300-square-mile service territory were affected during the year.
While we have an ambitious wildfire mitigation plan and aggressive vegetation management to keep our rights of way clear, we cannot control the weather or human-caused fires. Wildfire liability threatens the financial future of rural cooperatives, and we are committed to working with the Oregon Legislature to address this challenge.
Numerous other issues are getting our attention, such as streamlining transmission development and capping electric utility rates. Both could dramatically affect us.
At home, CEC continues to invest in key infrastructure upgrades, focusing on replacing older poles and underground cables and expanding our electric grid to support the steady growth in our region.
We remain committed to providing tools and resources to help members manage their energy consumption, save money, and stay informed. In December, we launched a newly redesigned website focused on user-friendliness to readily access your accounts and keep you current about CEC and our community involvement.
While the outcomes of major policy and legislative objectives are unclear, the day-to-day operations are well-defined: provide members with safe, reliable, clean, and affordable electricity.
President and CEO Brad Wilson