July 25, 2019

Portland General Electric plans for RE

Portland General Electric Company (PGE) has presented a new integrated resource plan to the Oregon Public Utility Commission (OPUC) for approval. This plan focuses on adding more renewable power, capturing more energy efficiency, and strengthening partnerships with customers to help balance energy supply and demand during periods of peak energy use.

"This is the first resource plan developed since we expanded our commitment to cut PGE greenhouse gas emissions," said Maria Pope, PGE's president and CEO. "It proposes measured steps we can take today to address climate change, while allowing flexibility for adjustments as technology and policies continue to evolve."

The plan calls for:

• 150 average megawatts of additional renewable resources by 2023.
• 157 average megawatts of additional cost-effective energy efficiency measures.
• Increased reliance on demand response to help balance sources and uses of electricity during peak months. This includes 141 megawatts during winter months, 211 megawatts during summer months, and 4 megawatts of customer battery storage.
• Additional actions to help meet capacity needs resulting from expiring contracts and the retirement of baseload coal plants like PGE's Boardman Generating Station.

PGE filed the plan with the OPUC July 19, kicking off a public review process before commissioners decide whether the utility has identified an appropriate least-cost, least-risk plan to reliably serve customers, consistent with applicable state and federal energy policies. Action on the plan by the commission is expected by the first quarter of 2020.

PGE introduced its “Vision for a Clean Energy Future” as a white paper in 2018 to help lay out a course for accelerating Oregon's clean energy transformation, including partnering in the development of the Wheatridge Renewable Energy Facility, advancement of electrification in the transportation system, enhanced reliability through system modernization, and elimination of coal-fired generation from PGE's resource mix no later than 2035.