News

Council briefings: NW sets summer record for peak power demand & an update on the Western Resource Adequacy Program

  • September 18, 2024
  • Peter Jensen
None

For the second time in 2024, the Pacific Northwest has set a new record for peak seasonal power demand. A heatwave that hit the region in early July sent demand on the grid surging to 33,300 MW, which is slightly higher than the previous summer peak of 33,000 MW set during the June 2021 heat dome. In a cold snap that hit in January 2024, the Northwest set the record for winter peak demand at 35,500 MW.

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Council discusses upgrade to long-term load forecasting capabilities, reviews new market study & price forecasting

  • August 22, 2024
  • Peter Jensen
None

While producing the 2021 Power Plan, Council power system analysts kept bumping up against limitations to their old computer models’ ability to do long-term load forecasting among other essential tasks in power planning. To address this issue, in 2023 staff contracted with Itron, a company offering energy forecasting software tools, to upgrade the Council’s long-term load forecasting.

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