FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For More Information Contact:
Jessica Matlock, PNGC Power President & CEO, 503-288-1234
PNGC Power To Become Largest Bonneville Power Administration Customer with the Addition of Inland Power and Light Company and Kootenai Electric Cooperative
Portland, Oregon – April 12, 2024 – Inland Power and Light Company (Inland Power) and Kootenai Electric Cooperative (Kootenai Electric) will join with Pacific Northwest Generating Cooperative (PNGC Power), the sole operating generation and transmission cooperative and one of the largest wholesale load-serving entities in the Pacific Northwest region. With the addition of these two cooperatives, PNGC Power becomes the largest power customer of the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA).
Inland Power and Kootenai Electric deliver electricity to communities in Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho, which are some of the fastest growing in the region. Partnering with PNGC Power bolsters the economic growth and long-term vitality of these unique areas. Inland Power and Kootenai Electric are joining PNGC Power’s 16 other electric cooperatives located in seven northwest and western states to work collaboratively on developing a new energy future to provide affordable, clean, reliable and resilient energy to local communities.
“We are excited to welcome both Inland Power and Kootenai Electric to the partnership of cooperatives committed to meeting the needs of our communities,” said Jessica Matlock, President and CEO of PNGC Power. “PNGC Power is comprised of a diverse set of like-minded cooperatives with service territories covering seven states. Inland Power and Kootenai Electric joining with our existing members helps us achieve our future resource goals. Inland Power and Kootenai Electric will add to the strength of our current cooperatives by sharing information, resources, and partnerships to help plan and develop an energy future for our communities.”
“Kootenai Electric’s Service area is growing rapidly,” said Doug Elliot, Kootenai Electric’s General Manager and CEO. “Acquiring a diversified portfolio of resources to serve this load growth has long been an essential aspect of our strategic planning. However, for a cooperative of our size, diversity is hard to achieve independently. It is for this reason that Kootenai Electric has decided to join PNGC Power. By aggregating our power supply requirements with those of their other members, we are better able to achieve the economies of scale necessary to keep the cost of power affordable to Kootenai Electric’s members.”
“The decision to join PNGC demonstrates Inland Power Board’s understanding of our members’ evolving energy needs,” said Jasen Bronec, Chief Executive Officer of Inland Power. “Joining PNGC is a proactive decision.”
Kootenai Electric Cooperative is based in Rathdrum, Idaho and has more than 30,000 meters and approximately 2,300 miles of electric line in parts of Kootenai, Benewah, Bonner and Spokane counties. Kootenai Electric employs more than 100 people and is the largest electric cooperative in Idaho.
Based in Spokane, Washington, Inland Power and Light Company is the largest electric cooperative in the state with approximately 46,000 meters, serving 13 counties in eastern Washington and Northern Idaho.
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About PNGC Power
PNGC Power is an Oregon-based electric generation and transmission (G&T) cooperative owned by 18 Northwest electric distribution cooperative utilities with service territory in seven western states (Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Nevada, and Wyoming). The cooperative creates value for its member systems by providing power supply, transmission, and other management services. PNGC Power is an aggregator of geographically diverse loads in the region and became the first electric cooperative in the country to receive a power marketing license from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. More information about PNGC Power can be found at www.pngcpower.com.