State Regulators Approve Power Test

Washington regulators Wednesday approved a program that will allow a sampling of Washington Water Power Co. residential and commercial customers to choose an alternative electricity supplier.

The two-year experiment encompasses 3,700 customers, including all of Odessa and Harrington. Some are in Idaho, where officials have not yet given their consent.

Participation will be voluntary. Continued service from WWP will remain an option, but company officials said several other providers have indicated an interest in bidding for customers.

In return, they must allow WWP to bid for a similar number of their customers.

Senior Rate Accountant Kelly Norwood said the program will give consumers and the utility alike a feel for how a deregulated energy marketplace might work.

All customers may be able to pick a power supplier within a few years.

The Washington test starts July 1. A similar test for the company’s largest business customers has been in place since last fall, although federal regulators recently ruled the program does not conform with guidelines set for utility restructuring.

, DataTimes