The Yakama Nation of Washington plans to expand its power company to serve the entire reservation.
Yakama Power currently provides service to several buildings on the reservation. General manager Ray Wiseman says the tribe has already saved money by purchasing power directly from the Bonneville Power Administration.
A new agreement with a local utility district puts the tribe in a position to expand service. By producing up to 11 megawatts of electricity, Yakama Power could serve about 7,000 homes..
The tribe is also working on a new agreement with BPA to purchase 25 megawatts of power at low cost. Renewable energy sources are being examined as well.
Get the Story:Yakama utility wants to power entire reservation (The Yakima Herald-Republic 6/18) Relevant Links:
Yakama Power - http://www.yakamapower.com Related Stories:
Yakama Nation, utility district sign agreement (6/12)
Yakama Nation reaches deal with utility district (6/5)
Editorial: Yakama Nation negotiates power deal (6/1)
Yakama Nation's power utility faces challenge (5/30)
Yakama Nation's new utility powers reservation (05/12)
