Seattle City Light ratepayers will likely get whacked with rate surcharges later this year, the CEO of the utility said at a City Council meeting on Wednesday. Low natural gas prices, pushed downward by increases in hydraulic fracturing, are partly to blame for the looming electricity bill bump, which could happen sooner or later depending on winter snowfall in the Pacific Northwest.
The surcharges are designed to replenish City Light’s “rate stabilization account,” which acts as a reserve to buffer unexpected drops in the utility’s revenue. A city ordinance requires surcharges to kick in if the account dips below certain balances. The fund is on track to hit one of those balances later this year.
Exactly when the surcharge would occur is uncertain. But City Light general manager and CEO Jorge Carrasco and a council staffer indicated at Wednesday's Energy Committee meeting that customers would probably see the charge tacked onto their electricity bill by August.
A 2010 city ordinance set the target size for the account at $100 million. A balance-drop to $90 million triggers a 1.5 percent rate surcharge. The surcharge increases to 3 percent if the account balance declines to $80 million, and to 4.5 percent if it dips to $70 million. As the fund balance is restored, the surcharges are removed.
The current account balance is roughly $90 million, according to City Light spokesman Scott Thomsen. To avoid an immediate surcharge, City Light plans to transfer $8 million of leftover money from its 2013 budget into the account. The transfer will require City Council approval.
In the past, City Light has relied heavily on selling surplus electricity to wholesale buyers — like other utilities — to maintain the balance. But in recent years, cheap, domestically produced natural gas has driven down energy prices and, as a result, City Light’s wholesale cash flow.
Meanwhile, an unusually low mountain snowpack is creating further financial uncertainty for the utility. Roughly 90 percent of the City Light’s power comes from hydroelectric dams. A thin winter snowpack can reduce river flows and, ultimately, the amount of water available to produce electricity. Extremely dry years can leave City Light with less power to sell and can sometimes force the utility to buy electricity itself on the wholesale market.
