Hydropower makes up about 60% of our power mix. Though that percentage fluctuates based on a number of factors, therefore, we purchase the remaining sources needed from the northwest power market, which is sourced from various generation sources.
Our employees are not required to be a member of the cooperative. We believe that having top talent to support our membership is important, and they don’t always live within the boundaries of our service area. UEC often searches nationwide to find some of the skillsets needed for top roles including the President/CEO, Vice Presidents, and other key positions. The President/CEO and many of our leadership team are members or live in our community.
However, our Board of Directors, as elected representatives, are required to live in the districts in which they represent. View our current Board of Directors and service territory here.
Our objective has long been to balance sustainability goals with low-cost power supply for our membership. One of the ways we do that is access to hydropower through Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) and working with our other suppliers to receive low-cost and low-carbon power. UEC has seen success in decreasing our carbon emissions. Read more on our efforts here.
Our energy efficiency team is available for FREE energy assessments for any member – residential, commercial, irrigation, and industrial! It benefits you, our cooperative, and other members when energy is saved. Please schedule an assessment by filling out this online form, our team will reach out to you to schedule.
As you’ve likely seen in our member magazine and online, we expect a rate adjustment this fall. We are working closely to analyze the impacts of proposed increases from BPA, as well as increased costs to materials, supplies, and labor. There are many costs incurred including increased costs to wildfire mitigation, insurance, legislative and regulatory changes, etc. We do our best to retain the value that we provide to our members. Since 2020, the average UEC residential bill has increased just over 11% total, or roughly 2% per year. As we continue to navigate what this rate adjustment may look like, we will provide information and comparison resources for our members as soon as those figures are finalized.
UEC has grown significantly in recent years and stands at nearly 130 employees. Recruiting happens locally and across the nation to attract and keep top talent to support our membership. UEC is continually focusing on searching for top talent to fill needed roles across the organization. The cooperative also focuses on helping existing UEC employees continue to develop, gain skills, and move forward in their careers.
UEC is re-building a 115kV transmission line, connecting areas east of Hermiston to the Juniper Canyon area of our service territory. This project supports mainly irrigation growth in the area. More on the Highway 37 to Columbia Substation Transmission Line can be found here.
Data center growth has impacted UEC's bottom line. Construction that requires major infrastructure for power delivery is paid for upfront, no matter who the construction is for. With many changing costs including increased prices in steel, equipment, and other necessities, it is important that we don't put those burdens on our remaining membership.
This increased revenue comes from our members. The members that cause the growth are the ones paying for the growth. Much of that increase includes member deposits that have been paid for planned new construction to deliver power. Those funds are held in reserve while construction activities take place to protect the rest of our members from those costs.
Annual meeting gifts are awarded to each member and not to each account. While a member may have more than one account, gifts are awarded through their single membership. This protects our cooperative system that one member gets one vote in the elections process and maintains the integrity of the co-op’s principles.