https://www.krem.com/article/news/local/avista-potential-data-center-development/293-1e208bda-09cc-4ff3-999e-882af54dfa83
KREM 2 Spokane
Avista confirms 'large load' customer is a data center
A spokesperson for the utility company confirmed on Tuesday it is considering a project to develop a data center in its Washington service territory.
Author: Emmalee Appel, Sydnee Scofield
Published: 4:39 PM PDT June 9, 2026
SPOKANE, Wash. — Avista confirmed on Tuesday that a potential "large load" project that the company is considering is a data center development.
https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/04/27/wa-sues-albertsons-over-deceptive-buy-one-get-one-free-deals/
Washington State Standard
WA sues Albertsons over ‘deceptive’ buy one, get one free deals
By: Jake Goldstein-Street
April 27, 2026 11:43 am
SEATTLE — Washington state on Monday sued Albertsons over allegations it has been overcharging customers for years via buy one, get one free offers.
Attorney General Nick Brown claims Albertsons, which also runs Safeway and Haggen stores, overcharged customers on at least 3.1 million transactions under this scheme between October 2019 and May 2024, bringing in at least $19.6 million from those purchases.
The lawsuit, filed in King County Superior Court, says Albertsons artificially raises the prices of items like bread, produce and olive oil in the weeks or months before a buy one, get one, or BOGO, offer. It then lowers the prices within a month of the promotion.
The complaint argues customers pay a premium on the first product, which covers a portion of the cost of the “free” one. The lawsuit comes after a monthslong investigation, Brown said.
“Washington consumers are already burdened by affordability issues, and we’re not going to stand by and let them get fleeced by deceptive marketing,” Brown said in a press conference.
Albertsons said in a statement that the company is aware of the lawsuit.
“We engaged in good‑faith discussions with the Attorney General’s Office and strongly disagree with its claims, which are based on flawed analysis and data errors that we identified and raised,” the company said.
“Albertsons Companies is committed to complying with the law and to offering customers clear value through our promotions,” the statement continued. “As this is pending litigation, we will address the matter through the legal process and cannot comment further.”
In 2021, the lawsuit says, Oroweat Premium Italian Bread at an Albertsons in Tacoma cost $3.69. But the store raised the price to $4.29, about 16%, around the time of a BOGO offer on the bread, according to the lawsuit. After the deal passed, it dropped the price to $4.17.
Other increases included 50% for mini watermelon at Safeway in Colville, 57% for olive oil at a Gig Harbor Albertsons and 84% for pimiento-stuffed olives at an Albertsons in Renton.
This isn’t the first time this issue has been called out.
In Oregon, Albertsons paid $107 million to settle a 2016 class-action lawsuit over similar allegations. In that case, eligible customers could each receive up to $200.
And in 2024, Albertsons settled with Washington consumers who brought their own lawsuit against the company. The terms of the settlement weren’t disclosed.
The state’s lawsuit alleges Albertsons is violating safeguards in the state’s Consumer Protection Act against unfair and deceptive practices.
Brown is asking a judge to order Albertsons to end its buy one, get one practices, provide restitution to customers and pay civil penalties with interest.
Albertsons, based in Boise, Idaho, has 225 stores in Washington, according to the attorney general’s office.
Washington has previously gone to court with the grocery giant to block its merger with Kroger out of anti-competitive concerns. In response to the lawsuit filed by then-Attorney General Bob Ferguson, a King County judge ruled the merger violated state consumer protection laws and halted it. A federal judge similarly blocked it, after the Federal Trade Commission sued.
Brown pointed out this new lawsuit comes as the Trump administration has “gutted” federal consumer protection efforts. And grocery prices are on the rise.
“This is something that everyone is facing, something that I face, trying to decide what products and food to buy for your family feels more important than ever before,” he said.
State lawmakers this year proposed legislation to temporarily ban electronic pricing systems at retailers and prohibit surveillance or algorithmic surge pricing. The bill didn’t pass the Legislature, but its sponsor has said she plans to try again in 2027.
Brown said his office has been “paying a lot of attention” to this issue, and eyeing whether companies are tailoring prices to customers based on personal data.
https://www.krem.com/article/news/local/avista-eying-project-with-large-load-electricity-customer/293-b2d89914-e732-4fdd-a33e-accd37a70736
KREM2 Spokane
Avista eyeing project with 'large load' electricity customer
At its full potential, the project would use the equivalent of 30% of the power Avista currently generates across all of its company-owned dams and plants.
Author: Casey Frizzell
Published: 12:58 PM PDT June 4, 2026
SPOKANE COUNTY, Wash. — Avista is preparing to provide services for a "large load" customer that could reshape the region's energy landscape. According to recent filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the utility company signed a preliminary deal for a new large project in its Washington service territory.
The project, for a customer not named in the SEC filing, is slated to start with an initial demand of 125 megawatts (MW) in 2029, with a potential pathway to grow to 500 MW by 2032.
Avista told KREM 2 on Friday that it could not share specific details about the potential customer due to "confidentiality agreements."
To put the energy costs for the project into perspective, Avista's 2025 Annual Report shows that the company's total owned generating capacity is now 1,687 MW. This means if the new project reaches its full 500 MW potential, it would need nearly 30% of Avista's current total owned generating capacity.
Avista officials noted in the SEC filing that they are exploring new power generation sources to support the new customer while maintaining reliability for residents in their service areas.
"Service agreements with a potential large load customer will be structured so that any cost incurred during this process will be reimbursed by that customer. We will not take power away from homes or existing businesses to serve a large load customer," said Avista in a statement on Friday.
To be approved, the project still needs federal and local permits and final approval from the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission.
Avista released a statement to KREM 2 on Friday:
"We know there’s a lot of interest - and some concern - around large load customers such as data centers. Our priority is always protecting existing customers, while still planning responsibly for growth. If we do enter into a contract with a large load customer, it will be structured so that the large load customer pays for the added costs - things like new power supply, transmission upgrades, and any other infrastructure needed specifically to serve them. Those costs will not be shifted onto existing customers. When done the right way, large load customers can actually help by spreading fixed system costs across more usage, which can ease upward pressure on customer rates over time. Avista’s goal is to ensure that the integration of new large loads provides a net benefit to all other customers. The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (WUTC) will also review the impact on other customers as part of its approval process. Avista will not connect large loads unless the system can reliably support them. That means engineering studies, required upgrades, and reliability protections are all in place first. We believe large load customers can be part of a long-term approach to keeping energy affordable, but we will not proceed unless we are comfortable that any agreement we enter into protects reliability, avoids cost- shifting, and makes sense for the communities we serve."
- by me, Kerry Wayne Burgess, posted by me: 05:03 AM Pacific-timezone USA Thursday 06/11/2026
