Tag – Electricity-grid

At September's Council meeting in Eugene, Power Planning Director Jennifer Light explained the scope of forthcoming analysis examining different paces of resource and transmission development in the Pacific Northwest.

The Pacific Northwest continues to make progress in acquiring cost-effective energy efficiency called for in the Council’s 2021 Power Plan. In 2024, the region acquired 160 aMW of cost-effective energy efficiency savings, including 39 aMW from BPA, the Council learned during its meeting in Eugene.

At the August meeting in Portland, Power Division staff outlined methods for evaluating the potential for advancements in energy efficiency to include in the energy efficiency supply curves for the Ninth Plan. The Ninth Power Plan will cover the period from 2026-2046, and ensure that the Pacific Northwest’s power system continues to be adequate, efficient, economical, and reliable over those 20 years.

At July’s Council meeting, Power Planning Director Jennifer Light explained the upcoming process for developing the Ninth Power Plan this summer and fall, as well as the early portion of 2026. The Council is also in the process of amending its Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Program with the goal of having a draft ready this fall and a final verison adopted in spring 2026.

At the June meeting held in Missoula, the Council heard presentations from representatives of electric co-operatives serving rural communities in western Montana, about the status of operations at Libby and Hungry Horse Dams, and about the Ice Age flooding that swept through the Columbia River Basin thousands of years ago.