POWERING PROGRES INTO THE FUTURE
President and CEO Letter
D
ear Valued Member,
At Inland Power and Light, our members are at the heart of our mission. This commitment goes beyond being a mere slogan; it defines our way of life and is embedded in every aspect of our operations. While our primary aim is to provide you with the electricity you rely on daily, the energy sector is constantly evolving, and we are dedicated to adapting to new government regulations and technologies Consequently, our focus remains on innovation, strategy and enhancing the member experience as we work diligently to serve you better
Since 1937, Inland Power has delivered electricity to those overlooked by investor-owned utilities as they established their infrastructure in the early 20th century. Our founders recognized the benefits of owning their utility provider, a tradition we proudly uphold today By being a member, you gain ownership of your cooperative
Garry Rosman Board President
One of the advantages of being a member-owner of your cooperative is Inland’s CA$HBACK program. Unlike investor-owned utilities that generate profits for shareholders, nonprofit electric cooperatives return any earnings to their members as capital credits Each year, the board assesses the cooperative's financial status to decide if a refund is appropriate
The funds contributed by our members play a crucial role in financing. They help cover costs for equipment, system maintenance, and upgrades to ensure you receive the safe, reliable, and high-quality service you deserve. By utilizing these funds, we can minimize the need to borrow from other lenders
While this report reflects on the achievements and events of 2024, our focus remains on the future The energy landscape is constantly evolving, and we are ready to adapt and grow alongside it.
Resiliency and reliability remain paramount for the leadership and employees at Inland Power We are making significant progress on our long-term work plan, which encompasses vital updates and expansions to substations, alongside other infrastructure enhancements. This year has also seen us excel in fulfilling new service requests and managing our inventory, while achieving various goals outlined in this annual report
As we strive to maintain a dependable system, costs continue to rise As a member of Inland Power, you have benefited from some of the lowest electric rates in the region for a long time. Our objective is to keep these rates low while ensuring that we provide all our members with safe and reliable electricity. We recognize the importance of being proactive in our efforts to keep rates affordable while enhancing our infrastructure and distribution systems
JASEN BRONEC Inland Power CEO
We truly appreciate you and your membership, and we eagerly anticipate the opportunity to continue serving you as your reliable energy provider. Please don't hesitate to contact us with any questions or suggestions on how we can enhance your experience as a member of Inland Power
Cooperatively,
Our Mission Is Our Members
OUR WHY:
What is the Inland Way?
The Inland Way are six values that are the core to our co-op and how we successfully serve our members and each other.
Because we care for each other and those we serve. Always Have, Always Will.
Giving Back to the Communities we serve
Our mission is straightforward – it centers around our members! At Inland Power, we recognize the significance of people supporting one another and serving our members. Through the Inland Power Community Foundation, we are able to assist not only our members but also the organizations that contribute to the communities we serve.
In 2024, the Inland Power Community Foundation supported nearly 30 different organizations, including the West Plains Safety Alliance, YMCA Youth Sports, Second Harvest of the Inland Northwest, Wishing Star Foundation, Habitat for Humanity and numerous other organizations throughout the 13 counties we serve Alongside various donations and sponsorships, the Foundation awarded 15 - $1,000 college scholarships to Inland Power members and their children Additionally, it granted nearly 100 livestock support requests for local 4-H and Future Farmers of America (FFA) participants in livestock shows This generosity is made possible by your contributions and WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR KINDNESS!
Other Inland Power programs:
Partnership with Spokane Neighborhood Action Partners (SNAP), providing a total of $103,330 to Inland Power members involved in their various programs in 2024
Inland Power Energy Assistance Program, we were able to support 540 members totaling $255,410 in IPL energy assistance in 2024
Wildfire and Fire Safety Mode
Let’s All do our part
In recent years, wildfires have severely impacted numerous communities in the Pacific Northwest, becoming a reocurring challenge for our region. Similar to many utilities, Inland Power has implemented substantial strategies to address the wildfire threat, including the creation of our wildfire mitigation plan
A crucial component of our dedicated vegetation management program is focused on reducing wildfire risk Our team continuously evaluates areas of concern within our service territory By strategically pruning and removing trees to maintain clear lines, we can greatly enhance public safety and ensure the security of the power grid.
We need our members to actively participate in prevention efforts as well If you have a dead or dying tree, or any trees that are causing you concern on your property, please contact our vegetation management team at (509) 747-7151
Inland Power diligently monitors our region for high-risk wildfire areas during the warm, dry months If needed, we will designate these areas as non-reclose or “fire safety mode ” When in fire safety mode, the automatic restoration of power functionality is disabled (non-reclose) in areas with heightened wildfire risk causing more outages This means that any service interruptions that would typically be brief will instead be prolonged and require a crew to manually inspect and restore service Once activated, fire safety mode will remain in effect throughout the dry season and will only be deactivated once burn bans are lifted and cooler weather returns.
We are committed to ensuring safety and staying vigilant in all our efforts to prevent wildfires and protect our members and the communities we serve.
Tips to Prevent Wildfires
Always keep a close eye on a fire and ensure that it is completely extinguished when you are finished.
Always ensure that cigarettes, matches, and smoking materials are never discarded from moving vehicles or any other location. Make sure to fully extinguish them before disposing of them properly.
When burning yard waste, it's essential to adhere to local regulations. Avoid burning on windy days, and always have a shovel, water, and fire retardant close at hand to manage the flames effectively.
Exercise caution when utilizing fueled lanterns, heaters, and stoves. Ensure that lighting and heating devices are completely cool before you refuel them. Additionally, keep flammable liquids and fuel at a safe distance from these appliances.
Grassroots In Motion
Remember, we can all play a role!
At Inland Power, we take pride in providing reliable electricity at competitive rates. From time to time, we recognize the need to make special efforts to safeguard the achievements of our friends and neighbors, who have worked tirelessly to build and maintain our cooperative over the past 85 years Collaboration is essential to the success of cooperatives, and as a member-owner of Inland Power, you can help us protect our collective interests in the legislative arena
We invite you to become part of our Grassroots Action Team, which will enable you to assist us in contacting legislators who make crucial decisions affecting Inland Power and other electric cooperatives across our state, region and nation.
To enhance our effectiveness, Inland Power has partnered with EveryAction, a platform that facilitates outreach to members interested in advocating for energy issues. Our goal is to work together with our members to influence elected officials involved in making energy policy decisions that affect our cooperative and the communities we serve
By signing up for Grassroots, you can:
Help utilities keep rates affordable.
Help protect our power supply in the Northwest.
Help provide us with the ability to keep you up to date on various issues affecting your utility, like the threat to hydropower.
The process is quite straightforward When an issue comes up that needs your attention, we will send you an email containing a link This link will direct you to a page that details the issue and outlines how you can assist A pre-written message will be provided, which you can edit as you wish, or you can choose to send it as it is After entering your information and clicking submit, your message will be delivered to lawmakers in your voting district
Please visit inlandpower.com/grassroots-action to learn more.
Why HydroPower IS important
Reliable - Clean - Affordable
As our nation's economy continues to expand, the need for reliable electricity is also increasing Data centers, new manufacturing plants, and our everyday activities are demanding more power than ever In fact, U.S. electricity consumption is projected to reach unprecedented levels this year and next, with expectations that demand will at least double by 2050.
In 2020, Washington State enacted the Clean Energy Transformation Act (CETA), mandating that all state electric utilities achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 and transition to 100 percent carbon-free energy by 2045. Inland Power recognizes the significance of this legislation and is dedicated to achieving a carbon-free future. As we prepare for the growing demand, Inland Power is proactively planning to ensure that our members have access to affordable and sustainable energy.
Investing in and maintaining hydroelectric power is crucial for ensuring a consistent energy supply Without our hydropower system, Washington would encounter catastrophic power generation challenges, which could lead to long-term power disruptions While other renewable sources like solar and wind are valuable, they are intermittent and provide limited reliability Currently, hydropower accounts for over 80 percent of the Pacific Northwest’s renewable energy Eliminating any dams in our region could lead to increased energy costs and a heightened risk of shortages and blackouts
We have already experienced the consequences of insufficient resources in our region In the past four years, three severe cold snaps nearly depleted our energy supplies, prompting regional utilities to urge consumers to conserve power to avoid running out It was hydropower generated primarily from the dams on the lower Snake River that kept our lights on and, more importantly, our heaters functioning
Hydropower fun facts:
40% of the nation’s hydropower is generated in the Pacific Northwest.
Dams on the Columbia River Basin produce more electricity than any other North American River.
Over 80% of the Pacific Northwest’s renewable energy comes from hydropower.
The Energy Source Breakdown For Inland Power
We continued to see growth in numbers in 2024. The following is a breakdown and comparison to the previous year totals.
Miles of Line Employees
New Services Counties Served
38,661
2024 2023 38,239 46,841
13 Members Meters
47,603
7,756
7,713
122
118
952
1,058
13
A quick breakdown of notable numbers.
Meters per Mile of Line
Number of Poles
2024 2023
Members giving to the Inland Power Community Foundation 4,149 6.07 102,669 34,652 23,685 2,791 T h e B r e a k d o w n 4,694 6.13 102,625 35,001 25,123 2,694
Number of transformers
Member enrolled in auTOpay 15,407 16,968
Members enrolled in SmartHub
Number of Social Media Followers
The Balance Sheet
Operations
& Project Focus
Our Focus
Reliability
Inland Power is committed to providing safe and reliable service However, unexpected events can sometimes lead to outages With the increasing demand for electricity, we recognize the necessity of enhancing our infrastructure to effectively serve our members We have made substantial investments to upgrade our systems.
These upgrades include:
Transitioning overhead lines in areas prone to outages to underground installations.
Automating reclosers to enhance wildfire mitigation efforts and quickly alert field crews
Strengthening the system and installing fault indicators to enable proactive maintenance of at-risk materials
Continuing the modernization of substations to ensure we can meet our growing capacity requirements, particularly in response to extreme weather conditions.
Our main objective is to reduce both the frequency and duration of outages for our members. In 2024, our System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI) averaged 278 minutes. This increase is mainly due to operating in fire safety mode, which was in effect from June 1 to the first week of October During this time, we faced strong winds, low humidity and dry conditions that required us to implement enhanced fire safety measures for several weeks. As a result, our system's sensitivity was heightened, leading to longer and more frequent outages.
Projects
In 2024, Inland Power’s operation and engineering departments focused on several major projects: Four Lakes project which entailed the installation of several miles of new conductors (power lines), reconductors, cable replacements, recloser modernization and pole replacements.
Re-conductor project for our Springhill and Jerita substation locations.
Upgrading cutouts, crossarms, insulators and arrestors at the Milan substation.
Hangman substation overhaul and upgrade of all connections, hardware and devices
Overhaul of three transformers to ensure the demand can meet the increase in load growth for the Creston service area
New current transformers were installed with new wiring, connections and conduit at the Chamber substation location.
Inland Power will continue to keep our members updated on the advancements we make in various essential and significant projects.
OUtage Cause Breakdown
What you need to
know about rates
WHO IS OUR POWER SOURCE?
Inland Power purchases power from the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) and works with other area utilities to secure affordable rates through BPA. BPA forecasts significant wholesale rate increases in 2025 due to inflation, infrastructure updates and improvements and rising operational expenses
WHY IS BPA PLANNING FOR RATE INCREASES?
Our region has seen substantial growth and as a result BPA is making necessary infrastructure enhancements due to an increase in energy demand and ongoing needs and improvements. As our region moves toward a 100% carbon-free power generation goal, BPA is planning to enhance the hydropower systems along the Columbia River, which will help ensure our region’s power generation remains affordable, reliable and clean
WHAT STEPS ARE WE TAKING TO BALANCE THESE PRICE IMPACTS?
In March 2024, Inland Power joined the Pacific Northwest Generating Cooperative (PNGC) to help us navigate power supply challenges, partner with neighboring utilities and provide us with advanced capabilities and tools to meet the ongoing load demand and growth in our region Inland Power, along with other public power utilities, and BPA are working together to smooth rate increases over the next three years This encourages BPA to gradually increase project spending over a longer period of time and will help ensure rates do not drastically increase all at once
Inland Power will take the same approach with our rates and will gradually increase rates through a phased approach plan We are conducting annual rate schedule reviews due to price impact challenges related to power supply costs as well as inflation, infrastructure upgrades and increased material costs We do anticipate multiple rate increases over the next several years with this phased approach.
As costs keep rising, we want to inform you that we expect future rate increases We will continue to provide explanations for why these increases are necessary We understand that rate increases are challenging for members, but they are essential. Inland Power rates will increase by about 6% on April 1, 2025.
Our new rate schedule is included in this letter Additionally, we foresee another rate increase in October 2025, and we will share details about that change as soon as it is finalized Our aim is to maintain transparency and give our members ample notice regarding these adjustments.
How we stack up
At Inland Power we do our best to keep our costs low as your rates as well. We offer our members some of the lowest rates in the region.
Factors That impact your Rates
As inflation affects a wide range of expenses, from grocery costs to fuel prices and the components influencing electricity rates, we aim to clarify some key factors that contribute to your energy bill.
kWh Charge
The monthly service fee is a fixed amount that encompasses the expenses related to delivering electricity to your residence or business This charge includes equipment system upgrades, materials, labor, and the operating costs required to serve each meter within our service area
Additionally, supply chain challenges and significant cost rises are crucial factors in determining our monthly availability service charge
Your monthly Inland Power bill consists of the following main components: Monthly Service Availability Charge = + What you pay 9.5
The monthly kWh charge reflects your energy consumption. Extreme temperatures can significantly influence this charge depending on your energy usage You have the ability to lower your bill by using less energy. For instance, during summer, consider raising your thermostat to 78 degrees or higher, and in winter, lower it to 68 degrees or below
The Power Cost Adjustment (PCA) is the method used to set electricity prices based on fluctuations in power production costs These costs can vary due to factors such as water availability from our dams, operational expenses, and maintenance fees incurred by Inland Power
Cents per kilowatt hour, plus average monthly service availability charge Our region has some of the lowest rates in the country! Average Residential Rates for 2024
Inland Power & Light 2024 Board of Trustees
JIM BAYE
District 1
Board of Trustee Wilbur, WA
GARRY ROSMAN
District 2
Board President Davenport, WA
CHRIS DAVIS
District 3
Board Treasurer Colbert, WA
KRISTINA BAHR
District 4
Board Secretary Spokane Valley, WA
RANDY SUESS District 5
Board Trustee Cheney, WA
JAMES KROLL District 6
Board Trustee Colfax, WA
BRIAN SLAYBAUGH District 7
Board Trustee Pomeroy, WA