Extreme Weather Outages in Texas Prompt Questions About Grid Reliability in the Northwest

Demand response is an important and growing resource on the Northwest’s electricity grid. At August’s Council meeting, leaders from Seattle City Light, Puget Sound Energy, and Opower presented on their strategies to bolster demand response in the Pacific Northwest in upcoming years.

Council votes to release draft Ninth Power Plan for public comment; hearings to be held in September & October in Oregon, Idaho, Washington & Montana

The Council is getting closer to a possible decision on whether to approve releasing a draft of the Ninth Power Plan to the public. If approved, it would commence a public comment period and hearing process in the four-state region. The public would be invited to attend hearings held in cities and towns across the Pacific Northwest and provide their input and thoughts on the proposed plan. The goal is to adopt the final Ninth Plan by the end of the year.

Over the course of two meetings in May, Council members and Power Division staff continued discussions on options for the Ninth Power Plan’s cost-effective resource strategy. The Council could potentially approve a draft of the Ninth Plan at its July 14-15 meeting in Portland, which would commence a public comment period and hearing process. The goal is to approve the final plan by the end of the year.