Public Service Commission of Utah

Address

160 East 300 South, 4th Floor, Salt Lake City, UT 84111

Phone

(801) 530-6716Fax (801) 530-6796

Website

psc.utah.gov ↗

Utility landscape

• Rocky Mountain Power (PacifiCorp subsidiary) IOU

  Majority of Utah including Wasatch Front, rural eastern and central Utah; largest electric utility in the state

  Subject to ongoing rate scrutiny following significant wildfire liability exposure from Oregon and California fires affecting PacifiCorp parent; PSC approved a multi-year rate plan framework and is monitoring cost allocation between states. Significant capital investment tied to Energy Vision 2050 transmission buildout is driving upward rate pressure.

• Questar Gas (Dominion Energy Utah) IOU

  Wasatch Front, northern Utah, and portions of southwestern Utah; dominant natural gas distribution utility

  Operating under renewed scrutiny regarding gas system safety upgrades and long-term demand forecasts as electrification policy pressure mounts. PSC approved a rate increase in 2024 and the utility is navigating infrastructure replacement cost recovery tied to its Vintage Steel Pipe program.

• Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS) muni

  Wholesale power supply to member municipalities across Utah, Nevada, Idaho, and surrounding states

  Closely watched as the sponsoring entity for the Carbon Free Power Project (small modular reactor with NuScale), which was cancelled in late 2023; UAMPS is now realigning its resource portfolio strategy, creating significant uncertainty around member utility integrated resource planning.

• Provo City Power muni

  Provo and portions of Utah County; one of the larger municipal electric utilities in the state

  Not directly regulated by PSC but participates in UAMPS wholesale arrangements; actively pursuing renewable procurement and demand-side management programs to address load growth driven by data center and tech sector expansion in Utah County.

• Bridger Valley Electric Association coop

  Uinta Basin and northeastern Utah rural areas

  Relies heavily on wholesale power from Basin Electric Power Cooperative and faces challenges balancing coal-heavy supply mix with emerging state renewable policy expectations; rate stability has been a priority given rural fixed-income membership base.

• Dixie Escalante Rural Electric Association coop

  Southwestern Utah including Washington and Iron counties; growing service area tied to St. George metro expansion

  Experiencing rapid load growth due to population influx in Washington County; pursuing transmission upgrades and exploring additional renewable procurement to meet demand without triggering outsized rate increases.

Key issues

• Rocky Mountain Power / PacifiCorp wildfire cost allocation: PSC is evaluating how Oregon and California wildfire liabilities flowing to PacifiCorp parent should be reflected in Utah retail rates, including whether Utah ratepayers bear any share of settlements or damages; intervenors including the Office of Consumer Services are pressing for cost disallowance.
• Energy Vision 2050 transmission cost recovery: RMP's multi-billion-dollar transmission expansion plan requires periodic PSC review of cost prudency and rate rider mechanisms; the commission is examining whether accelerated depreciation and construction work in progress (CWIP) recovery is appropriate given project timelines extending through 2050.
• Natural gas long-term resource planning and electrification policy: Dominion Energy Utah / Questar Gas faces pressure from environmental intervenors and the PSC's own inquiries to justify continued large-scale gas infrastructure investment given state and federal clean energy trajectories and potential for stranded asset risk.
• Integrated Resource Planning (IRP) cycle for Rocky Mountain Power: RMP's 2025 IRP filing is under active PSC review, with contested proceedings focused on the pace of coal retirement (particularly Hunter and Huntington plants), replacement resource adequacy, and the role of demand response and battery storage in the resource mix.
• Data center and high-load customer interconnection: Rapid growth of hyperscale data centers in Utah County and the Wasatch Front is straining interconnection queues and distribution infrastructure for both RMP and municipal utilities, prompting PSC consideration of large-load tariff reform and cost-of-service study updates to ensure cost causation among customer classes.

Upcoming

• 2026-09-15

  Estimated deadline for Rocky Mountain Power to file updated testimony in its pending general rate case (Docket No. 24-035-01 or successor proceeding); evidentiary hearings anticipated to follow in Q4 2026 per PSC scheduling order. Date is estimated based on typical PSC procedural timelines.

• 2026-10-01

  Estimated PSC open meeting at which commissioners are expected to address interim orders on Rocky Mountain Power's Energy Vision 2050 transmission rider recovery mechanism; stakeholders including the Office of Consumer Services and industrial intervenors anticipated to present final briefs prior to this date. Date is estimated.

• 2026-11-30

  Estimated deadline for Dominion Energy Utah / Questar Gas to submit its next annual Purchased Gas Adjustment (PGA) filing for winter 2026-2027 heating season rate setting; PSC staff audit of gas cost forecasting methodology expected to accompany review given prior year variance. Date is estimated.

• 2027-01-15

  Estimated target for PSC final order on Rocky Mountain Power's 2025 Integrated Resource Plan, including commission findings on coal plant retirement schedules, replacement capacity adequacy, and conditions attached to RMP's renewable procurement commitments; order will have material implications for future rate cases. Date is estimated.