The six-year streak of rising utility rates gets a potential reprieve as regulators force big tech to fund their own power grid expansion. Your PGE bill has been climbing for six straight years, partly because data centers gobbling up electricity in Hillsboro weren’t paying for the infrastructure upgrades they required. That changes now, thanks to a May 8 regulatory order that finally makes these power-hungry facilities cover their own grid expansion costs.
The New Rules Hit Where It Counts
Large data centers must now pay upfront for power line upgrades instead of passing costs to residential customers.
Oregon’s Public Utility Commission implemented new Schedule 96 contracts requiring data centers using 20+ megawatts to fund their own distribution network expansions. Think of it like making the person who orders the biggest meal pay for the extra table—common sense that somehow took years to implement.
Facilities exceeding 100 megawatts face an additional penny-per-kilowatt-hour surcharge funding low-income energy programs. These contracts include:
- 10-30 year terms
- Minimum 90% power use requirements
- Exit fees
- Penalties for overages
The Numbers Behind Your Bill Relief
PGE spent $210 million on Hillsboro data center infrastructure by 2025, costs previously spread across all ratepayers.
The scale explains why your rates kept climbing. Portland General Electric invested roughly $210 million supporting data center growth in Hillsboro alone, expenses that got distributed across every customer’s monthly statement.
Under the 2025 POWER Act driving these changes, PGE must file new rates by June 3, taking effect June 10. “This is a win for Oregonians,” said Bob Jenks of the Oregon Citizens’ Utility Board, predicting higher data center rates by summer.
Clean Energy Gets Priority Access
New data centers can only connect when sufficient zero-emission power exists, supporting Oregon’s 2040 carbon-free goals.
The order creates a queue system preventing new data centers from connecting unless adequate clean electricity capacity exists first. This aligns with House Bill 2021’s mandate for 100% emissions-free power by 2040 while preventing AI infrastructure from overwhelming the grid with fossil fuel demand.
“Important step toward balancing growth, reliability and affordability,” noted PGE’s John McFarland.
Similar proceedings target Pacific Power customers, potentially expanding relief statewide. Oregon’s approach could become a national model as other states grapple with AI-driven electricity demand straining aging infrastructure.
The immediate question for ratepayers: how quickly will bills reflect these changes? While the new rates launch June 10, meaningful relief depends on preventing future cost-shifting rather than reversing past increases—a modest win that makes future tech booms less expensive for everyone else.
