Snohomish Pud, Idaho Power Cut Deal

The Snohomish County Public Utility District and Idaho Power Co. have signed an agreement that calls for joint efforts to develop and market energy and energy services.

The deal, said Idaho Power Chairman Joseph Marshall, will help both utilities maintain their independence as competition reshapes the industry.

He said the alliance between the PUD and Idaho Power also will allow both to spread costs of new services over a broader customer base.

“Customers are demanding more value and choice for their money,” said PUD General Manager Richard Johnson. “That’s precisely what we’re prepared to deliver. It’s clear that our strengths are well-matched.”

Together, the utilities serve about 600,000 customers with electricity rates among the lowest in the nation.

PUD spokesman Andrew Muntz said the agreement was not negotiated with the intention of making Idaho Power’s abundant hydropower available to Snohomish customers.

He called the pact an “umbrella” that would provide a framework for more specific agreements in the future.

The deal is the second announced recently between public and private utilities.

In April, Chelan County Public Utility District granted Avista Energy, a subsidiary of Washington Water Power Co., the right to sell surplus electricity from its Columbia River dams.

Those two organizations also agreed to jointly market other energy services.

, DataTimes