Imperial Irrigation District Board to Review New Electricity Rate Structure for Large Energy Consumers

Current electricity customers may be protected from paying for the infrastructure and power supply costs of large new industrial projects, which would instead be fully covered by the high-demand consumers themselves.

• •The Imperial Irrigation District (IID) Board of Directors is scheduled to analyze the approval of a new electricity rate structure for large energy consumers.
• •The proposed rate structure applies to customers requesting a minimum of 20 megawatts of electrical demand and maintaining an 80 percent minimum load factor.
• •The policy aims to prevent existing electricity users from absorbing the costs of infrastructure and power supply for new large projects.
• •High-demand businesses would be required to pay for necessary infrastructure, power supply, and system improvements.
• •The district received 243 total public comments on the proposal, consisting of 239 from community members and 4 from industry representatives.
• •When initially presented in May, the IID had received nine proposals or requests from interested companies.
• •The plan establishes a procedure to evaluate whether the IID electrical system has the capacity to serve each project before authorizing a connection.
• •The IID's authority is limited to providing electrical service; local cities and the county retain jurisdiction over land use, zoning, permits, and project locations.
• •The proposal incorporates principles approved by the Board in December 2025 to protect current users and maintain system reliability.