Pacific Power Seeks 57% Electricity Rate Increase
The California utility asks regulators to approve a major rate hike while also seeking to recover wildfire liability costs from customers.
Updated on Nov. 7, 2026 in Utilities
Live Poll
Are your household's monthly electricity bills higher than they were a year ago?
Pacific Power, a California electric utility owned by PacifiCorp, filed a request with state regulators for a 57% electricity rate increase. The filing seeks $103 million in additional annual base revenue, which would raise a typical residential bill by about $120 a month.
Why it matters
The request comes as the utility faces roughly $637 million in liability claims and legal expenses tied to two wildfires. Residents of Northern California would bear the costs of upgrading a wildfire-prone power grid, a burden that falls on a comparatively small customer base.
The filing seeks $103 million in added annual base revenue across a service territory of 11,292 square miles serving about 46,000 customers. Of the $637 million in fire liability costs, Pacific Power asks customers to cover $340.5 million, and regulators have not yet decided how much will be recovered.
The players
Pacific Power
Pacific Power is an electric utility serving Northern California customers and a subsidiary of PacifiCorp, which is owned by Berkshire Hathaway.
PacifiCorp
PacifiCorp is a western U.S. electric utility holding company and the parent of Pacific Power, owned by Berkshire Hathaway.
Berkshire Hathaway
Berkshire Hathaway is the diversified conglomerate led by Warren Buffett that owns PacifiCorp.
The details
Much of the requested increase reflects replacing wooden power poles with steel and fiberglass structures, and replacing hundreds of miles of bare wire with insulated, fire-resistant conductor. The utility's equipment has been allegedly tied to the 2020 Slater Fire, which burned more than 150,000 acres and killed two people, and the 2022 McKinney Fire, which burned 60,000 acres and killed four people.
Timeline
September 2020: Five PacifiCorp-linked wildfires ignited in Oregon and California.
July 2022: One PacifiCorp-linked wildfire ignited in Oregon or California.
February 2026: PacifiCorp reached a $575 million settlement with the U.S. government.
November 6, 2026: Pacific Power filed the 57% rate increase request with regulators.
2027: Regulators will consider both the rate and fire cost proposals.
Roadmap
Pacific Power's request follows PacifiCorp's $575 million settlement with the U.S. government in February, which addressed wildfire-related liability at the parent-company level. The filing shows how utilities in wildfire-prone regions are increasingly passing grid-hardening and liability costs on to ratepayers.
If approved, the request would raise a typical Northern California residential bill by about $120 a month, and an additional $46 a month, roughly 19%, if fire costs are also recovered from customers. Households in the service territory would absorb these increases directly on their monthly electricity bills.
The takeaway
Utility rate requests in wildfire-prone areas increasingly combine grid-hardening spending with liability recovery, so customers should watch the 2027 regulatory proceedings for how costs are divided. Reviewing your own bill and any proposed rate changes during public comment periods can help you understand what is being asked of you.
What happens next
Regulators are scheduled to consider both the rate increase request and the fire cost recovery proposal in 2027.
Further reading
For broader context on regional power costs, see Utilities coverage across California.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Benzinga.
Live Poll
Are your household's monthly electricity bills higher than they were a year ago?
