Bonneville announces rate increases by this October

Bonneville Power Administration announced numerous rate changes that are expected to take effect Oct. 1, 2009.

Rates for customers that buy power and transmission will increase on average by 6 percent. Transmission rates will stay the same. Power rates will increase by an average of 7 percent. This is the first power rate increase since 2002 and it's driven by both rising costs and decreasing surplus revenues.

Power customers will also receive $163 million in returned overcharges due to a 2007 U.S. Ninth Circuit Court decision. Financial benefits for residential and small farm consumers of inv...