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By: David Kroman, The Seattle Times
Jun. 5—The Seattle City Council unanimously approved the appointment of Dawn Lindell as the next general manager and CEO of Seattle City Light on Tuesday.
Lindell has been the agency's interim boss since February. She steps into the permanent role at a precarious time for the electric utility as climate change, the lingering effects of the pandemic and upheaval in the energy market create a strong upward draft on the cost of energy in Seattle.
"We need ideas from all over," she said Tuesday. "We will try many things. Some will work and some we will learn from as we try again differently."
Lindell has worked in the energy world for more than 25 years. Before coming to Seattle, she was the CEO of Burbank Water and Power in Burbank, Calif. Before that she was the senior vice president of Western Area Power Administration, based in Lakewood, Colo.
As a municipal, nonprofit provider of electricity, Seattle City Light is unique in a country where utilities are often supplied by private companies. The utility relies on hydroelectric power piped into the city via dams across the state, including on the Skagit, Pend Oreille, Tolt and Cedar rivers.
That sprawling infrastructure means Seattle City Light is also partially a diplomatic department, navigating complex relationships with the cities and tribal lands where the dams are located.
Historically, hydroelectric power has been a source of cheap, reliable and clean energy for residents. But in recent years, as storms and droughts have increased in intensity, the landscape has become more complicated for Seattle City Light.
A few things are happening simultaneously.
During the pandemic, City Light kept rates low amid economic uncertainty, spending down its reserve accounts to keep prices affordable. Now, the utility is trying to play catchup and replenish those reserves.
At the same time, the region is in its third year of drought conditions, restricting the utility's ability to run its dams at full blast. The limited output is coming as more severe weather, hotter summers and the increasing electrification of buildings and cars in the region increase demand for power.
"Two years ago, we thought we'd be adding 400 megawatts of additional load," Lindell said. "Today, we know we need to add at least 1,800 megawatts of additional load."
On top of all that, the cost for Seattle City Light to purchase power — solar or wind, for example — on the open market has increased significantly.
Combined with the need to replace aging infrastructure, pressure is mounting on the department to raise rates — as it did to start 2024.
Lindell was recommended to Mayor Bruce Harrell by an 11-member search committee. In the time Lindell has served as interim CEO, Harrell has heard "overwhelmingly positive feedback from affected stakeholders," he said in his letter to the council, transmitting Lindell's nomination.
Lindell will earn an annual salary of 3,770 — more than double Harrell's.
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(c)2024 The Seattle Times
Visit The Seattle Times at www.seattletimes.com
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