Utility Tariff Analysis · Updated September 2026

Portland General Electric's New Large-Load Rate Class: What It Means for AI Data Center Siting in Oregon

September 18, 2026 6 min read Strategic Crypto Reserve Data Center Infrastructure

A newly created large-load rate class, approved May 2026 applies once the Oregon PUC's May 2026 approval of Portland General Electric's new large-load rate class takes effect, building on PGE's 2025-approved changes to new-load connection cost policy. PacifiCorp has separately proposed Schedule 401, a new customer class for large energy-use facilities, alongside new large-customer line-extension charges approved as part of its own rate review.

Oregon at a glance: industrial power about 8.2¢/kWh (EIA-based, indexed to April 2026) · grid queue about 42 months · data center equipment tax exemption: no state sales tax. Indicative figures from the SCR AI Build Configurator v1.4.0.

The Tariff Explained Model a Oregon Build Free
Oregon AI data center power map: Portland General Electric's New Large-Load Rate Class large-load tariff

Portland General Electric's New Large-Load Rate Class

OR

Portland General Electric / PacifiCorp

UM 2377; UE 430; ADV 1790 / UE 463

Regulatory docket / filing reference

A newly created large-load rate class, approved May 2026

Who the tariff applies to

A newly created large-load rate class, approved May 2026 applies once the Oregon PUC's May 2026 approval of Portland General Electric's new large-load rate class takes effect, building on PGE's 2025-approved changes to new-load connection cost policy. PacifiCorp has separately proposed Schedule 401, a new customer class for large energy-use facilities, alongside new large-customer line-extension charges approved as part of its own rate review.

Also active in Oregon: PGE has already used a 31 MW customer-sited battery to unlock 80 MW of additional data center capacity in 2026 without new generation, and is serving an Aligned Data Centers project in Hillsboro alongside a $3 billion Lam Research semiconductor lab expansion in Tualatin.

Oregon at a glance: large-load tariff threshold, docket and who it applies to

Named Projects Already Underway

CustomerLocationDetails
Aligned Data CentersHillsboro, ORdata center project; a 31 MW customer-sited battery helped PGE unlock 80 MW of additional data center capacity in 2026
Lam ResearchTualatin, ORsemiconductor research lab expansion, part of a $3 billion Lam investment including up to $1.7 billion at the Oregon campus

Figures compiled from the Edison Electric Institute's "Large Load Projects and Tariffs" (September 2026) member-company summary and public regulatory filings. Confirm current tariff terms directly with Portland General Electric / PacifiCorp and the relevant state public utility commission before relying on any figure for a capital decision.

Weighing Oregon against another state or a Canadian province with a different rate and interconnection picture entirely? Run both sides of the comparison through our licensed AI data center cost configurator — it applies each jurisdiction's actual power rate, tax treatment and large-load tariff rules to the same seven build configurations.

Portland General Electric’s new large-load rate class is still bedding in; our own crypto data center has been operating under BC Hydro’s established industrial tariff for comparison.

Named data center projects underway in Oregon Named Projects Already Underway: Portland General Electric's New Large-Load Rate Class: What It Means for AI Data Center Siting in Oregon

Model This State on Your Own Site

Every figure above comes from the same power-cost and tariff dataset behind the SCR AI Build Configurator — a licensed, embeddable widget that models seven data center build configurations against all nine Canadian provinces and all 50 US states plus DC, returning capital expenditure by line item, energy cost, revenue by commercial structure, EBITDA and payback.

LicencePrice (CAD)Who it suits
Standard$4,000 / domain / yearAdvisors who need three lease-model configurations and a clipboard summary
Pro$10,000 / domain / yearConsultants who send CSV deliverables to clients and want all seven configurations
EnterpriseFrom $25,000 / year, up to 3 domainsDevelopers and EPC firms who want the model on their own cost basis with attribution removed

Not ready for an annual licence? A one-time Site Screening Report ($950, one site) runs the same model for a single build without embedding anything.

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Model a Oregon data center build in the SCR AI Build Configurator: CapEx, power cost, EBITDA and payback Model This State on Your Own Site: Portland General Electric's New Large-Load Rate Class: What It Means for AI Data Center Siting in Oregon

Compare Oregon With Nearby States

Large-load rules change sharply at state lines. See how the neighbouring utilities handle data center and high-density loads before you shortlist a site.

Washington

Washington 2027 mandate
California

PG&E Electric Rule 30
Idaho

Idaho Power Schedule 20
Nevada

NV Energy Clean Transition Tariff
All 50 State Tariffs Data Center Cost Calculator AI Build Configurations

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Portland General Electric's New Large-Load Rate Class?

A newly created large-load rate class, approved May 2026 applies once the Oregon PUC's May 2026 approval of Portland General Electric's new large-load rate class takes effect, building on PGE's 2025-approved changes to new-load connection cost policy. PacifiCorp has separately proposed Schedule 401, a new customer class for large energy-use facilities, alongside new large-customer line-extension charges approved as part of its own rate review.

Why did Portland General Electric / PacifiCorp introduce this large-load structure?

To ensure the cost of new generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure built to serve very large customers, chiefly hyperscale data centers, is paid for by those customers rather than spread across the general rate base of residential and small commercial ratepayers.

What large data center projects are already active in Oregon?

PGE has already used a 31 MW customer-sited battery to unlock 80 MW of additional data center capacity in 2026 without new generation, and is serving an Aligned Data Centers project in Hillsboro alongside a $3 billion Lam Research semiconductor lab expansion in Tualatin.

Does this tariff replace Oregon's standard commercial and industrial rates?

No. Portland General Electric's New Large-Load Rate Class sits above Portland General Electric / PacifiCorp's standard commercial and industrial rate schedules and applies specifically to customers that meet or exceed the large-load threshold described above. Smaller commercial and industrial loads continue to be billed under existing rate schedules.

How can I model a Oregon data center build against this tariff and other states?

The SCR AI Build Configurator applies Oregon's power cost, tax treatment and large-load tariff rules alongside all other US states and Canadian provinces, so a Oregon scenario can be compared line-by-line against any alternative site.