The Redwood Coast Energy Authority board voted July 23 to set its generation rates 6% above PG&E’s starting Sept. 1, adopting a strategy staff said is meant to keep the agency’s cash reserves above a $26 million floor.
According to the July 23 meeting minutes, the board approved Resolution 2026-9 by unanimous voice vote, with one non-voting member and two absent. The resolution authorizes the agency to maintain the reserve target and adjust rates quarterly, with staff saying any increase above 9.5% over PG&E generation rates would require separate board authorization.
Staff told directors the 6% premium, which they said would amount to about $2.33 a month for an average customer, is intended to address pressure from the Power Charge Indifference Adjustment, or PCIA, and volatility in wholesale-power costs. The minutes also say the board amended its 2026-27 budget to reflect the new rate structure.
Directors also discussed the long-term burden of PCIA charges on RCEA customers and the agency’s customer-savings history. The minutes say RCEA has paid about $118 million in cumulative PCIA charges since the community choice program began in 2017, while Humboldt County customers have seen more than $5 million in cumulative savings.
At the same meeting, the board accepted the annual California Summer Market Conditions Assessment, approved a revised salary schedule adding a general counsel position, and moved ahead with a recruitment process for that role. It also approved consent-calendar items including an amended conflict-of-interest code, a wind power purchase agreement with Paradigm Energy LLC and submission of the 2026 Integrated Resource Plan to the CPUC.
