Snohomish Pud Cuts Deal With Wwp

The Snohomish County Public Utility District will buy as much as 100 megawatts of electricity from Washington Water Power Co. in a 10-year deal announced Wednesday.

Tom Johns, a wholesale power marketer for Spokane-based WWP, said the deal should yield about $12 million in revenue annually.

“That helps keep our retail rates low,” he said.

Johns said WWP was picked from among three finalists to deliver the power to Snohomish, which had decided to reduce its dependence on the Bonneville Power Administration.

Bonneville’s share of the Snohomish load will slip from 70 percent to 60 percent when the WWP contract kicks in next October, he said.

The deal is the latest in a series WWP has negotiated in recent months with other utilities and Northwest smelters in an effort to boost wholesale revenues.

WWP began delivering 60 megawatts to Snohomish last month under a separate, one-year contract. A megawatt is enough to provide service to about 650 homes.

, DataTimes