Oregon utilities shift data-center costs and reliability obligations

Pacific Power’s proposed rate rules have been approved and take effect Jan. 1, 2027: data centers of at least 20 MW will enter a separate customer class, sign long-term service agreements, and directly bear infrastructure costs attributable to their demand. The article does not identify affected projects or quantify costs. NERC’s inadequate load-model findings and an estimate of more than 15 TWh of potential Oregon data-center use by 2030 reinforce power-planning and ratepayer-protection pressures; the demand estimate is not committed load.