Oregon Public Broadcasting

PacifiCorp customers will see their bills increase more than 4.5 percent starting in February.

That's about $2.80 per month for the average family.

PacifiCorp had asked for twice that much, but Bob Valdez of the Oregon Public Utility Commission, says staff spent the last nine months looking for ways to cut the rate hike.

Bob Valdez: "PacifiCorp is making new investments. They're building a couple of gas plants, they have three more wind projects going on. Also a transmission and distribution upgrades and some hydro electric relicensing requirements -- those are all things that are not inexpensive."

The Commission trimmed PacifiCorp's proposed rate of return, its insurance, its workers’ compensation, pensions and wage requests.

It also made sure customers aren't charged before the new generators are actually working. 

A spokeswoman for PacifiCorp says they tried to keep costs down, but adding new power is expensive.