Delivering Power in
Extreme Weather
From windstorms and record snow in the winter and
fall to record-breaking triple-digit temperatures in the
summer, 2021’s extreme weather caused many
large-scale outages and high peak energy usage.
Through it all, City Light responded quickly and safely
to get the power back on and manage power loads to
ensure the system could accommodate increased use.
Creating Shelter for
Unhoused Neighbors
Working with other City of Seattle partners, City Light
has turned its former Power Control Center on Roy
Street in Seattle’s Uptown neighborhood into a
24-hour shelter for up to 40 unhoused individuals.
The Seattle Indian Center will manage the shelter.
Expanding Access to
Electric Vehicle Charging
City Light continues efforts to install and operate
publicly accessible electric vehicle fast chargers
throughout its service area. In 2021, City Light installed
six new rapid chargers in its franchise cities, including
five in Tukwila and one in downtown Burien.
In addition, City Light partnered with King County Metro
and the City of Tukwila to develop and open a charging
facility for Metro’s new fleet of all-electric buses. The
facility supports efforts to provide accessible electrified
public transit for south King County communities and
reduces air and noise pollution throughout the region.
Earning a Place on the
Clean Energy Leaderboard
In April 2021, the Smart Electric Power
Alliance (SEPA), a nonprofit organization
that envisions a carbon-free energy
system, announced that City Light
earned a spot on its 2021 Utility
Transformation Leaderboard.
The recognition results from City
Light’s participation in SEPA’s
Utility Transformation
Challenge—an assessment of
U.S. electric utilities’ efforts
to embrace the transition
to a clean and modern
energy future.
Greening Up
Our Community
City Light and the Washington State Housing Finance
Commission’s (WSHFC) Sustainable Energy Trust
were selected as 2021 Green Power Leadership
Award winners by the Center for Resource Solutions.
The award recognized the two agencies for removing
barriers for low- and moderate-income communities
to install solar energy projects. Along with affordable
financing through WSHFC’s Sustainable Energy Trust,
communities can access funding through City Light’s
Green Up Community Program. When customers
participate in Green Up, City Light purchases regional
renewable energy credits on their behalf
to fund community rooftop solar projects.
Customer Assistance
City Light continues its focus on
ensuring all customers have access to
clean energy, no matter their income. No
one should be without power. We are
working with City and community partners to
increase the effectiveness of our utility bill
assistance programs.
Customer Technology
City Light is improving customer-facing technologies
to give customers the tools they need to manage
their accounts and services. This work is part of the
Utility Technology Roadmap, a strategic document
created in 2021 that provides a comprehensive plan
for our technology portfolio investments.
Organizational Change
Management Office
City Light has established a formal change
management program to provide consistent
structure, standards, training, coaching, and
resources to help employees adapt to, and make
the most of, changing job functions, business
processes, and technology. The program has
dedicated staffing, and initial projects are underway.
Exploring Renewable Hydrogen
with the Port of Seattle
In 2021, a team led by City Light, Pacific Northwest
National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories
began exploring a potential shift from fossil fuel to
clean hydrogen fuel to power medium- and heavy-duty
vehicles at the Port of Seattle. Clean hydrogen fuel is
expected to significantly reduce greenhouse gas
emissions, particularly in the maritime and trucking
industries, which are harder to decarbonize. This work
is supported by two awards from the U.S. Department
of Energy totaling $2.12 million to help meet emission
reduction goals set by City Light and the Port.
Resetting Skagit Hydroelectric
Project Relicensing
Climate change makes the carbon-free energy
produced by the Skagit River Hydroelectric Project
vital to our customers and an important part of
today’s solution to global climate change. It’s also
true that our infrastructure has a significant impact
on the native lands and culture of Tribes and First
Nations, and the dams that power the Northwest are
challenging for fish, particularly salmon. When City
Light received feedback that the relicensing process
was not going well for our partners, we recognized
the need for change. Over the last year, we improved
our relationships with participating Tribes and
agencies by making collaboration the centerpiece of
the relicensing process. We also committed to go
beyond basic dam mitigation to improve the Skagit
watershed and its salmon runs.
Replacing Aging Infrastructure
The Boundary Hydroelectric Project installed a brand
new 772,000-pound rotor (rotating component) and
refurbished stator (stationary component) in one of
its six generators as part of a comprehensive
rehabilitation project. This upgrade will enable the
generator to operate at improved efficiency,
increasing energy output and providing carbon-free,
reliable power for the next 40+ years.
ACCOMPLISHMENT
HIGHLIGHTS
City Light is already making progress on the Strategic Plan. Below are
some key accomplishments that highlight work that is underway.
Seattle City Light | Strategic Plan Update 2023–2028
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