Seattle City Light
Encyclopedia
Seattle City Light is the public utility
providing electrical power
to Seattle, Washington
and parts of its metropolitan area
, including all of Shoreline
and Lake Forest Park
and parts of unincorporated King County
, Burien
, Normandy Park
, Seatac
, Renton
, and Tukwila
. About 740,000 residents (405,000 metered customers) are being served by Seattle City Light.
, 0.6% natural gas, and 0.1% biomass and other sources. The utility owns and operates the Skagit River Hydroelectric Project
, a series of three hydroelectric
dams on the Skagit River
in northern Washington State. The project supplies approximately 25 percent of Seattle’s electric power. The utility also owns and operates the Boundary Dam
on the Pend Oreille River
which can provide up to approximately 50% of Seattle's electric power. The remaining power comes from a mix of sources, including long-term contracts with the Bonneville Power Administration
(BPA). According to SCL, residential customers currently pay about 6 cents per kilowatt-hour of electricity. Seattle has the lowest residential and commercial electrical rates amongst comparably-sized cities in the United States.
under the administration of the Water Department. Electricity from this development began to serve Seattle in 1905. A City Charter amendment in 1910 created the Lighting Department. Under the leadership of Superintendent James D. Ross, the department developed the Skagit River Hydroelectric Project
, which began supplying power in 1924. Both public and private power were supplied to Seattle until 1951 when the City purchased the private electrical power supply operations, making the Lighting Department the sole supplier. The Boundary Project in northern Washington began operation in 1967 and currently supplies over half of City Light's power generation. Approximately ten percent of City Light's income comes from the sale of surplus energy to customers in the Northwest and Southwest. The current name of the agency was adopted in 1978 when the Department was reorganized.
Public utility
A public utility is an organization that maintains the infrastructure for a public service . Public utilities are subject to forms of public control and regulation ranging from local community-based groups to state-wide government monopolies...
providing electrical power
Electric power
Electric power is the rate at which electric energy is transferred by an electric circuit. The SI unit of power is the watt.-Circuits:Electric power, like mechanical power, is represented by the letter P in electrical equations...
to Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
and parts of its metropolitan area
Seattle metropolitan area
The Seattle metropolitan area in the US state of Washington includes the city of Seattle, King County, Snohomish County, and Pierce County within the Puget Sound region. The U.S...
, including all of Shoreline
Shoreline, Washington
Shoreline is a city in King County, Washington, United States, north of Downtown Seattle bordering the northern Seattle city limits. As of the 2010 census, the population was 53,007, making it the 19th largest city in the state of Washington....
and Lake Forest Park
Lake Forest Park, Washington
Lake Forest Park is a city in King County, Washington, United States, just north of Seattle. A bedroom community by design, most of the city consists of single-family housing on medium to large-sized lots, with an emphasis on retaining the natural features of the landscape...
and parts of unincorporated King County
King County, Washington
King County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. The population in the 2010 census was 1,931,249. King is the most populous county in Washington, and the 14th most populous in the United States....
, Burien
Burien, Washington
Burien is a city in King County, Washington, United States, located south of Seattle. As of the 2010 Census, Burien's population is 33,313, which is a 2.9% increase since incorporation. Annexation in 2011 has increased the cities population to about 45,000....
, Normandy Park
Normandy Park, Washington
Normandy Park is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 6,335 at the 2010 census.Based on per capita income, Normandy Park ranks 26th of 522 areas in the state of Washington.-History:...
, Seatac
SeaTac, Washington
SeaTac is an American city in southern King County, Washington, and an outlying suburb of Seattle, Washington. Incorporated in February 1990, the City of SeaTac is ten square miles in area and has a population of 26,909 according to the 2010 census...
, Renton
Renton, Washington
Renton is an Eastside edge city in King County, Washington, United States. Situated 11 miles southeast of Seattle, Washington, Renton straddles the southeast shore of Lake Washington. Founded in the 1860s, Renton became a supply town for the Newcastle coal fields...
, and Tukwila
Tukwila, Washington
Tukwila is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The northern edge of Tukwila borders the city of Seattle. The population was 19,107 at the 2010 census.-History:...
. About 740,000 residents (405,000 metered customers) are being served by Seattle City Light.
Seattle's electricity supply
For 2009, the fuel mix for Seattle City Light was approximately 91.2% hydroelectric, 4.4% nuclear, 2.3% wind, 1.4% coalCoal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
, 0.6% natural gas, and 0.1% biomass and other sources. The utility owns and operates the Skagit River Hydroelectric Project
Skagit River Hydroelectric Project
The Skagit River Hydroelectric Project is a series of dams with hydroelectric power-generating stations on the Skagit River in northern Washington State. The project is owned and operated by Seattle City Light to provide electric power for the City of Seattle and surrounding communities...
, a series of three hydroelectric
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
dams on the Skagit River
Skagit River
The Skagit River is a river in southwestern British Columbia in Canada and northwestern Washington in the United States, approximately 150 mi long...
in northern Washington State. The project supplies approximately 25 percent of Seattle’s electric power. The utility also owns and operates the Boundary Dam
Boundary Dam
Boundary Dam is a concrete arch gravity-type hydroelectric dam on the Pend Oreille River, in the U.S. state of Washington. The dam is located in the northeast corner of Washington state, just south of the border with British Columbia, Canada. It is operated by Seattle City Light and makes up a...
on the Pend Oreille River
Pend Oreille River
The Pend Oreille River is a tributary of the Columbia River, approximately long, in northern Idaho and northeastern Washington in the United States, as well as southeastern British Columbia in Canada. In its passage through British Columbia its name is spelled Pend-d'Oreille River...
which can provide up to approximately 50% of Seattle's electric power. The remaining power comes from a mix of sources, including long-term contracts with the Bonneville Power Administration
Bonneville Power Administration
The Bonneville Power Administration is an American federal agency based in the Pacific Northwest. BPA was created by an act of Congress in 1937 to market electric power from the Bonneville Dam located on the Columbia River and to construct facilities necessary to transmit that power...
(BPA). According to SCL, residential customers currently pay about 6 cents per kilowatt-hour of electricity. Seattle has the lowest residential and commercial electrical rates amongst comparably-sized cities in the United States.
History
Public responsibility for electrical energy in Seattle dates to 1890 with creation of the Department of Lighting and Water Works. In 1902, Seattle voters passed a bond issue to develop hydroelectric power on the Cedar River (Washington)Cedar River (Washington)
The Cedar River is a river in the U.S. state of Washington. About long, it originates in the Cascade Range and flows generally west and northwest, emptying into the southern end of Lake Washington...
under the administration of the Water Department. Electricity from this development began to serve Seattle in 1905. A City Charter amendment in 1910 created the Lighting Department. Under the leadership of Superintendent James D. Ross, the department developed the Skagit River Hydroelectric Project
Skagit River Hydroelectric Project
The Skagit River Hydroelectric Project is a series of dams with hydroelectric power-generating stations on the Skagit River in northern Washington State. The project is owned and operated by Seattle City Light to provide electric power for the City of Seattle and surrounding communities...
, which began supplying power in 1924. Both public and private power were supplied to Seattle until 1951 when the City purchased the private electrical power supply operations, making the Lighting Department the sole supplier. The Boundary Project in northern Washington began operation in 1967 and currently supplies over half of City Light's power generation. Approximately ten percent of City Light's income comes from the sale of surplus energy to customers in the Northwest and Southwest. The current name of the agency was adopted in 1978 when the Department was reorganized.