'Customers simply can't afford' PGE's proposed rate hike, advocacy group says.

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — An advocacy group for utility customers in Oregon is raising concerns about a proposed rate increase from Portland General Electric.

PGE has already raised rates by more than 43% since 2021. Now customers are complaining the prospect of an even higher bill is making the cost of living unaffordable.

While PGE has laid the blame on the proposed rate increases on rising energy costs, the Oregon Citizens' Utility Board is asking the Public Utilities Commission to delay or reject it. The PUC has said they are working on getting additional clarification on why the rate increase is needed.

PGE held a briefing on fire mitigation efforts on Wednesday. KOIN 6 News was there and asked the for-profit company why it felt comfortable asking to raise rates by double digits.

"Portland General Electric has put in for an additional rate increase this year that was filed with the Oregon Public Utility Commission back in February. It is an ongoing process. Nothing has been finalized at this point," said Drew Hanson, the communications manager for PGE. "And it's also important to note, too, that's a public process and that is still open for public comment through the end of August."

When asked further as to why the rate increases were necessary, Hanson said it was related to a number of factors.

"There's a number of pieces within the rate filings that have been filed around system enhancements, new battery storage systems that are in process are coming online eventually. And then the cost of rising cost of fuel. So buying fuel from the market to help provide the services that our customers expect from us," Hanson said.

"They can't be raising rates three and four times the rate of inflation year after year because their customers simply can't afford it," said Bob Jenks, the executive director of the Oregon Citizens' Utility Board.

Jenks said over two thousand people have submitted public comments to the Oregon Public Utility Commission. The link to submitting public comments can be found on the Oregon PUC's website.