Bonneville Power Administration: Better Management of BPA's Obligation to Provide Power Is Needed to Control Future Costs

In July 2004, GAO issued a report entitled "BONNEVILLE POWER ADMINISTRATION: Better Management of BPA's Obligation to Provide Power Is Needed to Control Future Costs". In this report, GAO found that the major cause of BPA's recent cost increases was its open-ended obligation to provide power to the Pacific Northwest region. This obligation led to cost increases as BPA purchased large amounts of relatively expensive power to meet rising demand. BPA's rate structure also contributed to increased demand and increased costs, since it did not reflect BPA's incremental costs of acquiring additional power and, therefore, did not give customers adequate incentives to conserve or seek power from alternative sources. To reduce the risk that BPA will be over-committed in the future and to help BPA control the costs of future power purchases, GAO recommended that BPA define the rights to purchase the firm output of the federal power system so that the amount of power that BPA sells at its lowest, cost-based rate is equivalent to the firm output of the existing federal power system. In February 2005, BPA issued a Record of Decision stating that its policy is to limit the amount of power it sells at its lowest-cost rates to approximately the firm capability of the existing federal power system. BPA further stated that it anticipates implementing this policy decision through new long-term contracts and rates to be implemented as early as October 2008. This action is consistent with and responsive to GAO's recommendation.

In July 2004, GAO issued a report entitled "BONNEVILLE POWER ADMINISTRATION: Better Management of BPA's Obligation to Provide Power Is Needed to Control Future Costs". In this report, GAO found that the major cause of BPA's recent cost increases was its open-ended obligation to provide power to the Pacific Northwest region. This obligation led to cost increases as BPA purchased large amounts of relatively expensive power to meet rising demand. BPA's rate structure also contributed to increased demand and increased costs, since it did not reflect BPA's incremental costs of acquiring additional power, and therefore, did not give customers adequate incentives to conserve or seek power from alternative sources. To reduce the risk that BPA will be overcommitted in the future and to help BPA control the costs of future power purchases, GAO recommended that BPA define the rights to purchase the firm output of the federal power system so that customers who demand additional power from BPA are charged incremental rates that fully reflect the additional costs BPA incurs in acquiring or otherwise providing such power. In February 2005, BPA issued a Record of Decision stating that its policy is to limit the amount of power it sells at its lowest-cost rates to approximately the firm capability of the existing federal power system. BPA further stated that it anticipates implementing this policy decision through new long-term contracts and rates to be implemented as early as October 2008. In addition, BPA stated that it will consider the use of an incremental or tiered rate as part of an integrated long-term power contract and rate solution. This action is consistent with and responsive to GAO's recommendation.

In July 2004, GAO issued a report entitled "BONNEVILLE POWER ADMINISTRATION: Better Management of BPA's Obligation to Provide Power Is Needed to Control Future Costs". In this report, GAO recommended that BPA define the rights to purchase the firm output of the federal power system so that (1) the amount of power that BPA sells at its lowest, cost-based rate is equivalent to the firm output of the existing federal power system, and (2) customers who demand additional power from BPA are charged incremental rates that fully reflect the additional costs BPA incurs in acquiring or otherwise providing such power. GAO made these recommendations to help BPA control the costs associated with future power purchases that it may incur in order to meet its open-ended obligation to provide power to the Pacific Northwest region. However, during the audit, GAO found that while BPA had considered implementing a similar proposal in the past, it ultimately declined to do so, in part because of pressure from BPA's customers to provide more power. As a result, GAO concluded that a rule issued under the Administrative Procedure Act to establish a policy on allocating rights to power from the existing federal power system and charging incremental rates would provide greater assurance that BPA would not change direction in the future. Therefore, as a way to lend credibility to and reinforce BPA's actions, GAO recommended that BPA study the feasibility of issuing a rule under the Administrative Procedure Act to define the rights to purchase the firm output of the existing federal power system and set the terms of incremental rates for any power sold beyond that amount. According to an October 2004 letter to GAO, BPA stated its intent to study the feasibility of issuing a rule under the Administrative Procedure Act. In February 2005, BPA issued a Record of Decision describing how BPA intends to implement its policy through new contracts and rates. This action is consistent with and responsive to GAO's recommendation.

In July 2004, GAO issued a report entitled "BONNEVILLE POWER ADMINISTRATION: Better Management of BPA's Obligation to Provide Power Is Needed to Control Future Costs". In this report, GAO found that the major cause of BPA's recent cost increases was its open-ended obligation to provide power to the Pacific Northwest region. This obligation led to cost increases as BPA purchased large amounts of relatively expensive power to meet rising demand. GAO also found that BPA has taken positive steps to centralize its risk management process to better control costs. However, BPA's plan outlining its new approach to risk management did not contain some key elements to successful implementation, including details on specific activities, resources, and time frames needed to implement the plan. To strengthen BPA's management plan and to ensure that progress is made in implementing its new risk management approach, GAO recommended that BPA identify specific activities, resources, and time frames to implement its risk management initiatives. In November 2004, BPA issued a work plan that identified specific activities, resources, and time frames associated with the establishment of a transacting and credit risk management plan, which is the first area of strategic risk to be treated under BPA's Enterprise Risk Management program. This action is consistent with and responsive to GAO's recommendation.