Public power utilities help Portland General Electric restore power

by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
February 22, 2021

Public power utilities recently sent crews to help Oregon investor-owned Portland General Electric (PGE) with power restoration efforts after PGE was hit hard by a winter storm this month.

Seattle City Light crews left Seattle at 6 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 15 to assist PGE.

Julie Moore, Seattle City Light’s Director of Communications, noted that the utility sent two crews (10 people total). Tentatively, they will return on Friday, Feb. 26, but it depends on how the restoration goes, she noted.

The Seattle City Light crews were deployed under a mutual aid agreement with PGE.

Meanwhile, Washington State’s Snohomish County PUD reported that it had four service crews working in western Oregon to assist PGE with power restoration.

Snohomish noted that more than 500,000 customers were without power at the height of the storm, “but incredible progress has been made.”

PGE reported that it has also received assistance from Avista Utilities, Central Lincoln PUD, Puget Sound Energy and Eugene Water and Electric Board.