Ward 1 in Springfield,

Got the figure but forgot to add it to the story. The current figure on the electrical utility side is $245 million. Subtract $27 million through this planned payoff and you have $218 million.

Recall that SUB buys all its power from BPA while EWEB owns several of its own generating plants,  including hydroelectric dams and wind farms. EWEB made numerous investments after the West Coast energy crisis in a bid to not rely as heavily on the wholesale market.  That allowed the utility to generate its own energy for customers and sell surplus to generate revenue. Of course, it's a different story now that energy use has flattened and wholesale prices are much lower than they were.

I hope this is helpful,

Christian Hill
Reporter, The Register-Guard