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. (Read presentation | watch video)

Updated needs assessment

Council power planners presented the initial results from the Ninth Plan’s needs assessment on hydro operations in October. Staff also did a needs assessment for the resource and transmission risk scenario, which was presented at December’s Council meeting. While doing some final rounds of testing in the Council’s OptGen model in preparation for the next step in modeling, staff identified a data entry error related to assumptions about irrigation demand in the Columbia Basin. After further testing confirmed the discrepancy, staff determined that it would be prudent to fully re-run all of the needs assessment analysis. Staff shared the updated adequacy reserve margins at the meeting. Despite this re-run, the overall result remains the same. The region needs significant resources, with capacity challenges seen in all months and energy challenges in the winter and summer.

Upcoming Ninth Plan processes in 2026

We are now in the final stages of modeling for the Ninth Plan. Right now, Council power planners are preparing the regional resource optimization runs for all scenarios and sensitivities. These will test different buildouts of the Northwest’s electricity grid over the next two decades. The differences between sensitivities will inform how decisions change to manage different risks and uncertainty in the future. The results of this analysis will help guide the Council’s decision-making on the Ninth Plan’s cost-effective resource strategy. Given forecasted load growth and the needs identified in earlier studies, the Council expects the strategy to include a portfolio of supply- and demand-side resources.

But which resources? How much? When do they come onto the system, and which of their attributes are the best fit for specific energy needs? How will power planners be able to identify a resource strategy that is cost-effective yet delivers an adequate and reliable power supply for the Northwest? Resource optimization modeling helps to answer these questions, but it won’t provide the final answers that will go into the Ninth Plan’s resource strategy.

The Council Members and the staff will consider results from this modeling as well as other analysis in open, public meetings. Under the Northwest Power Act, the public in our four-state region will also have ample opportunity to have their voices heard in our decision-making processes. For more information about the upcoming schedule, see the list of dates and milestones below. The goal is to release a draft of the Ninth Plan to the public in mid-July, and adopt the final version by November.

Council power planners are also conducting scenario modeling that tests uncertainties and key assumptions, such as the costs and availability of new resources and transmission, different operations of the Columbia Basin hydrosystem, extreme weather, and load growth uncertainty.

The goal is to bring a full set of modeling results to the Council in March. Here are potential steps the Council is planning to take to get a draft of the Ninth Plan ready to be adopted and released for public review and comment by mid-July. All dates are subject to change.

• April 14-16 Council meeting in Whitefish, MT: Discuss initial set of proposed recommendations, including resource strategy options, conservation program elements, and supporting recommendations.
• April 28-29 webinar: Extra work session to continue discussing recommendations, as needed.
• May 12-14 Council meeting in Pendleton, OR: Continue discussion of recommendations and review some of the draft power plan chapters. This meeting could be when the final version of the Council’s 2026 Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Program is adopted.
• May 27-29 webinar: Extra work session to refine recommendations and chapters, as needed.
• June 16-18 Council meeting in Portland: Continue review and refining draft power plan chapters.
• June 30-July 1 webinar: Tentative extra Council meeting if needed, to review and refine draft plan chapters.
• July 14-15 Council meeting in Portland: Adopt draft power plan for public comment.

Adopting the draft plan in mid-July would commence the public hearing process and a 60-day public comment period. In August, the Council would begin to host public hearings in Oregon, Idaho, Washington, and Montana, which would continue into September. The goal is to devote the Nov. 17-18 meeting in Portland to adopting the final version of the Ninth Power Plan.