HERMISTON, OR — Recently, the Hermiston city council voted unanimously to purchase the PacifiCorp facility for $8 million. PacifiCorp serves 4,000 residential and commercial customers in the city.

The purchase gives the city of Hermiston a municipal electric utility. This is the first time in 20 years that a municipal utility has been established.

Hermiston will begin serving customers on Oct. 1, 2001, when a new contract with Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) takes effect. The city qualified last year as a new, small public utility and became eligible for preference power.

Publication date: 08/06/2001