Chelan PUD restores billing operations after vendor cyber attack

WENATCHEE — Chelan County Public Utility District (PUD) announced that billing statements will return to normal starting in late July, following a cyber attack on its long-time vendor, ChangeHealthcare, earlier this year.

According to Chelan PUD officials, customers can expect their bills to include all the usual information, such as energy and water usage data, graphs, and delivery options. Those who had previously signed up for electronic statements will once again be able to access their bills via Powerpay, the utility's online payment system.

Here’s what customers can expect:

• Electronic statements: Customers who signed up for electronic statements will be able to access their next bill via Powerpay. They will no longer receive paper statements in the mail.
• Powerpay password reset: If you have not logged into Powerpay in more than 60 days, you may need to reset your password. Call (509) 661-8002 for assistance.
• Autopay customers: Automatic payment will continue to be processed as usual.
• Past statements: Historical bill statements have still not been recovered from the vendor and remain unavailable to staff or customers via Powerpay. We will continue to work on restoring this functionality. 

“When we realized it might take weeks or even months for them to resume service, we made a hard decision to move away from our long-time vendor, and we made that decision quickly for the benefit of our customers,” said Ian Fitzgerald, Chief Technology Officer at Chelan PUD.

In February, a ransomware gang known as Black Cat infiltrated ChangeHealthcare's systems, forcing Chelan PUD to create a basic billing format to maintain the billing schedule for its customers. Since then, the utility has been working to restore full billing capabilities.

“Immediately, we established dedicated team that have been working hard to re-establish the billing process and support our customers through the transition,” said Managing Director of Customer Utilities John Stoll. “We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and frustration this has caused our customer-owners. Customers continue to be our first priority.”

Chelan PUD has been providing electricity, water, and other services to Chelan County residents for over 80 years. The utility stated that a dedicated team has been working hard to re-establish the billing process and support customers throughout the transition.