PacificorpEdit
PacifiCorp is a major electric utility in the western United States, serving millions of customers across six states. Operating under the brands Pacific Power in Oregon, California, and Washington and Rocky Mountain Power in Utah, Wyoming, and Idaho, PacifiCorp is a regulated utility that sits at the intersection of capital-intensive infrastructure, customer service, and energy policy. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Energy, the utility-focused arm of Berkshire Hathaway. This ownership provides long-term capital stability for investments in the grid, even as the company must earn its authorized return in a regulatory framework that is designed to protect consumers. PacifiCorp is also part of a broader corporate family that emphasizes stable, prudent investment and a reliable electricity supply as a foundation for economic growth. Berkshire Hathaway Energy MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company Pacific Power Rocky Mountain Power Public utility commissions
PacifiCorp operates as a vertically integrated utility that combines transmission, distribution, and generation assets with a regulated rate structure. The company’s service territory spans a diverse mix of urban and rural areas, including rapidly growing population centers and resource-rich regions. This geographic breadth underpins a broad portfolio strategy: maintain reliable service for customers while investing in modernizing the grid, expanding access to affordable energy, and reducing emissions where feasible within a regulated framework. The two retail brands—Pacific Power and Rocky Mountain Power—reflect historic regional holdings and regulatory regimes, and they are central to the company’s customer-facing identity. Oregon California Washington Utah Wyoming Idaho
History
PacifiCorp’s lineage includes a number of 20th-century utility consolidations that culminated in its modern structure. In 2000, the company was acquired by MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company, the energy affiliate of what would later become Berkshire Hathaway Energy. This ownership provided access to substantial capital for long-term infrastructure programs. Over time, PacifiCorp integrated its operations under a single corporate umbrella, while continuing to operate the two retail brands that reflect its multi-state footprint. The parent organization has emphasized prudent investment, regulatory engagement, and a focus on reliability as it transitions toward a cleaner energy mix. MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company Berkshire Hathaway Energy Pacific PowerRocky Mountain Power
Operations and markets
PacifiCorp serves customers across six western states through a regulated model. The company’s day-to-day responsibilities include maintaining and upgrading the distribution grid, planning long-range resource needs, and procuring energy to meet demand. Generation assets are distributed across a portfolio that includes a mix of renewable resources such as wind and solar, as well as traditional fuels where market and regulatory conditions support their continued use. The company’s generation mix is shaped by state renewable standards and federal and state policies designed to ensure reliability, affordability, and emissions reduction. By design, PacifiCorp’s regulatory footprint requires rate cases and performance metrics to be approved by state public utility commissions, ensuring that customers pay only a reasonable share of investments while preserving the utility’s financial viability. Public utility commissions Wind power Solar power Hydroelectric power Natural gas Coal
Generation and resource mix
In the western energy landscape, PacifiCorp has pursued a diversified resource strategy. Investment in wind capacity has been a notable feature in several parts of its service area, complemented by solar projects and near-term storage opportunities. Hydroelectric generation remains a significant component in the Pacific Northwest, contributing to seasonal and daily energy balancing. The ongoing transition away from older, higher-emission plants toward cleaner, lower-cost resources sits within the regulatory and market structure that governs how utilities plan, build, and recover costs for new projects. This approach aims to balance reliability and price risk for customers while supporting broader environmental objectives. Wind power Solar power Hydroelectric power Renewable energy Cost of capital Energy storage
Regulation, rate setting, and policy environment
PacifiCorp’s operations are shaped by a layered regulatory framework. State public utility commissions approve rate cases, establishing allowed revenue requirements, capital investments, and return on investment. As a regulated utility, PacifiCorp seeks to align incentives for reliable service with cost containment for ratepayers, while also meeting policy goals set by state governments—whether those goals involve emissions reductions, reliability standards, or grid modernization. The regulatory environment often sparks debate about the pace and cost of the transition to cleaner energy, the appropriate role for subsidies or mandates, and the balance between shareholder value and consumer bills. Proponents argue that a predictable, well-capitalized utility is essential for dependable service and economic growth, while critics sometimes contend that mandates or subsidies can raise prices and distort incentives. PacifiCorp’s approach emphasizes disciplined capital investment and regulatory accountability as the framework for delivering affordable power while advancing modernization. Public utility commissions Renewable portfolio standard Energy policy Berkshire Hathaway Energy
Controversies and debates
Like many large utilities facing a transition to cleaner energy, PacifiCorp sits at the center of several ongoing debates:
Affordability and rate changes: Critics argue that infrastructure investments and policy-driven mandates can push up annual bills for households and small businesses. Supporters counter that rate cases and capital plans are subject to regulatory review designed to keep costs reasonable, while funding the grid improvements needed to prevent outages and outages-related losses. The regulatory process is intended to protect consumers but also to provide a stable return to investors who supply the capital for long-term projects. Public utility commissions Rate case
Energy transition and reliability: The shift toward more wind, solar, and storage raises questions about grid reliability, particularly during peak demand periods or extreme weather. Advocates for the transition contend that diversified energy mixes and storage solutions will enhance resilience, while skeptics caution that aggressive mandates without commensurate transmission, storage, and market reforms can raise prices or affect reliability in the near term. The debate often centers on the pace of retirement for older plants and the deployment of backup resources. Wind power Solar power Energy storage
Policy mandates and subsidies: State mandates to pursue clean energy and the use of subsidies or incentives influence project economics. Proponents argue these tools accelerate environmental benefits and national competitiveness, while opponents claim they can distort price signals and create uneven burdens on ratepayers. PacifiCorp operates within these dynamics, seeking to deliver value to customers under the rules set by state legislatures and regulatory commissions. Renewable portfolio standard Subsidies State energy policy
Ownership structure and governance: The company’s status as a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Energy provides long-run capital stability but invites questions about how corporate governance aligns with customer interests. Supporters point to the security of a large, diversified parent that can fund large-scale modernization without relying on volatile markets. Critics may argue for greater alignment of incentives with ratepayers and more transparency around capital allocation. Berkshire Hathaway Energy Corporate governance
See also