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Peter Jensen

Communications Specialist

Peter is a Communications Specialist at the Northwest Power and Conservation Council. Prior to the Council, Peter worked as a journalist for more than a decade with newspapers in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and California. His reporting frequently covered energy, water, environmental, and fish and wildlife issues, including in the Columbia and Snake River Basins. After leaving journalism and pivoting to communications consulting, his work focused on energy and climate policy throughout North America, with an emphasis on energy efficiency, buildings, and heavy industry. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from Western Washington University.

pjensen@nwcouncil.org

503-820-2300

Peter's recent news posts

Power Division’s resource optimization modeling results show consistent themes across sensitivities

As the Council continues to make progress toward developing the resource strategy for the Ninth Power Plan this year, Power Division staff has reached a significant milestone. They have completed regional resource optimization modeling. They presented results of this study at the Council’s April meeting in Whitefish, MT.

Council briefing: New study examines factors behind trends in Pacific Northwest, national retail electricity prices

A recent study by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the Brattle Group, a consulting firm, finds that while retail electricity prices in the U.S. have increased in the past several years, these trends have tracked with inflation, on average. A Brattle Group analyst presented the results of this study to the Council at its March meeting in Portland.

WestTEC study plans for WECC-wide expansion of transmission system through 2035

At March’s Council meeting in Portland, representatives from the Western Transmission Expansion Coalition presented key findings from their new 10-year study examining an expansion of the transmission system in the Western Interconnection, including the Pacific Northwest.

Council briefing: Emerging technologies seek to expand electricity grid’s resource mix in the Northwest

Emerging technologies could reshape the way electricity is generated in the Pacific Northwest in the future, although major questions linger on their costs and timelines to commercial viability. Because these supply-side emerging technologies could play important roles in the future grid, the Council heard a briefing about three options at its February meeting in Portland.

Council briefing: How Power Division staff test and analyze possible future buildouts of NW electricity grid

Power Division staff are using a suite of advanced, innovative computer modeling tools as well as statistical methods to glean insights, test, and analyze future potential buildouts of the Northwest’s electricity grid over the next two decades. At February’s Council meeting, staff provided a primer on their modeling tools and statistical methods, as well as the type of data that will be available once modeling is completed this spring.

Expert panel addresses data center energy efficiency, load flexibility, and water impacts in Pacific Northwest

A building design standard for data centers in the Pacific Northwest could reduce peak energy consumption in their electrical and mechanical systems by one-fifth, the Council heard during a panel discussion at its January meeting in Portland. Additionally, panelists discussed programs allowing data center companies whose projects agree to load-flexibility requirements and other standards to speed through grid planning processes and get interconnected sooner.

Upcoming milestones for the Ninth Plan, and an updated needs assessment

At January’s Council meeting, Power Planning Director Jennifer Light provided an update on upcoming key points for developing the Ninth Power Plan in the first part of 2026, as well as an updated needs assessment.

Council approves draft Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Program for public review, comment

Long-term, consistent operations that will support juvenile migration in spring and summer and keep water temperatures cooler in the Columbia and Snake Rivers are included in a new draft of the Council’s Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program. Other top priorities include maintaining critical assets like hatcheries and fish screens and continuing to invest in habitat restoration projects.

Catch up on latest developments with the Council’s next 20-year power plan for the Pacific Northwest

2025 has been a busy year for the Council and the Power Division staff as they develop a new 20-year plan for the Pacific Northwest’s electricity grid, which is called the Ninth Power Plan. With the end of the year fast approaching – and some critical analytical milestones and decision-making points looming early in 2026 – check out this recap of the Council’s work on the Ninth Plan so far, and a timeline for what’s going to happen next.

Council reviews needs assessment results based on simulating Northwest power system in 2031

At October’s Council meeting in Donnelly, Idaho, Power Division staff presented results of a new needs assessment that examines a simulation of the Northwest power system in 2031 under intentionally limited circumstances.

Integrating energy and the environment in the Columbia River Basin

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