Union County OTEC customers to pay 4.4% higher rates April 1

Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative announced a 4.4% average rate increase that will take effect April 1, 2026, a move that will raise monthly bills for member-owners across Union County and the cooperative’s other service areas. The Baker City Herald reported the announcement following a press release published by OTEC, and noted this is the cooperative’s second increase in two years.

The cooperative, based in Baker City, serves members in Baker, Union, Grant and Harney counties. The Baker City Herald, in a Feb. 9, 2026 article by Jayson Jacoby, said OTEC announced the rate hike in a press release that day. The same coverage quoted the cooperative’s statement that, “The OTEC board of directors did not make this decision lightly, but carefully considered the various contributing factors and conducted thorough evaluation before they concluded a rate increase was necessary for the financial stability of the cooperative.” The press release added that the increase supports efforts “to maintain and improve its services, ensuring it can continue to meet the growing energy demands of its member-owners while keeping the system reliable and efficient.”

The April 2026 increase follows an average 9.5% rise implemented in April 2025. OTEC’s Feb. 24, 2025 press release said the 2025 change was driven by higher wholesale power costs from the Bonneville Power Administration as well as rising costs for materials, transportation, fuel and labor and the need for ongoing system maintenance and wildfire mitigation. Wholesale power costs from BPA account for almost half of OTEC’s expenses, the Baker City Herald reported, and the paper noted that BPA had proposed a 10.8% rate increase on Dec. 9, 2024 that OTEC officials warned could be passed on to members.

OTEC’s 2025 press release included concrete residential examples for that earlier increase: the monthly delivery charge rose from $33.50 to $38.50 and the per-kilowatt-hour energy charge rose from $0.06797 to $0.07259. Using an average household consumption of 1,033 kWh per month, OTEC calculated the typical residential bill increased from $103.71 to $113.49, a $9.77 monthly jump. Those figures reflect the April 2025 adjustment; the Baker City Herald and OTEC’s materials direct customers to the cooperative’s rates page for per-rate-class details on the April 2026 increase.

OTEC remains a member-owned, not-for-profit utility and has returned capital credits to its members over time; the Baker City Herald reported roughly $3 million in capital-credit refunds in December 2025 and $61 million returned since 1996. The cooperative and local officials have framed the rate decisions as necessary for financial stability and service reliability.

Union County residents should review upcoming April statements and consult OTEC’s online rates page for the per-rate-class breakdown of the 4.4% increase. The cooperative’s statements indicate the change will be reflected on April bills, and wholesale-price pressure from BPA will be the key factor to watch for future adjustments.