Skip to main content

Header Menu

  • Contact

Search

Menu
  • About

    Integrating energy and the environment in the Columbia River Basin

    About the Council
    • Mission and Strategy
    • Members and Staff
    • Bylaws
    • Policies
    • Careers / RFPs
  • News

    See what the Council is up to.

    Read the latest news
    • Read All News
    • Press Resources
    • Newsletters
    • International Columbia River

    Explore News by Topic

    • Fish and Wildlife Planning
    • Salmon and Steelhead
    • Wildlife
    • Energy Planning
    • Energy Efficiency
    • Demand Response
  • Fish and Wildlife

    The Council works to protect and enhance fish and wildlife in the Columbia River Basin. Its Fish & Wildlife Program guides project funding by the Bonneville Power Administration.

    Fish & Wildlife overview

    The Fish and Wildlife Program

    • 2020 Addendum
    • 2014/2020 Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program
    • Subbasin Plans
    • Project Reviews and Recommendations

    Independent Review Groups

    • Independent Economic Analysis Board (IEAB)
    • Independent Scientific Advisory Board (ISAB)
    • Independent Scientific Review Panel (ISRP)

    Forums and Workgroups

    • Asset Management Subcommittee
    • Ocean and Plume Science and Management Forum
    • Regional Coordination
    • Science and Policy Exchange
    • Toxics Workgroup
    • Columbia Basin Research, Monitoring and Evaluation Workgroup
    • Informal Hatchery Workgroup

    Topics

    • Adaptive Management
    • Anadromous Fish Mitigation
    • Blocked Areas
    • High-level Indicators
    • Invasive and Non-Native Species
    • Lamprey
    • Predation
    • Protected Areas
    • Research Plan
    • Resource Tools and Maps
    • Sea Lions
    • Sockeye
    • Sturgeon
    • The Pike Problem
    • Hatchery Map
  • Energy

    The Council develops a plan, updated every five years, to ensure the region’s power supply and acquire cost-effective energy efficiency.

    Energy overview

    THE NORTHWEST POWER PLAN

    • The 2021 Northwest Power Plan
    • The Seventh Power Plan
    • Planning Process and Past Power Plans

    TECHNICAL TOOLS AND MODELS

    • Regional Portfolio Model
    • Generation Evaluation System Model (GENESYS)

    Energy Advisory Committees

    • Conservation Resources Advisory Committee
    • Demand Forecast Advisory Committee
    • Demand Response Advisory Committee
    • Generating Resources Advisory Committee
    • Natural Gas Advisory Committee
    • Resource Adequacy Advisory Committee
    • System Analysis Advisory Committee
    • Regional Technical Forum
    • RTF Policy Advisory Committee
    • System Integration Forum
    • Resource Strategies Advisory Committee (Not Active)

    Energy Topics

    • Energy Efficiency
    • Demand Response
    • Power Supply
    • Resource Adequacy
    • Energy Storage
    • Hydropower

    Energy Forums and Workgroups

    • Pacific NW Demand Response Project
    • Northwest Wind Integration Forum (Archive)
  • Meetings
    See next Council meeting February 9 - 10, 2021 in TBA or webinar › See all meetings ›

    View all council meetings View full calendar

    Recent and Upcoming Meetings

    Previous Swipe left or right Next
    • Aug 2020 Wed 05
      9:30 am—3:30 pm System Analysis Advisory Committee Webinar
    • Sep 2020 Wed 02
      9:30 am—3:30 pm System Analysis Advisory Committee
    • Sep 2020 Tue 29
      9:00 am—1:00 pm System Analysis Advisory Committee
    • Sep 2020 Wed 30
      9:30 am—12:30 pm Conservation Resources Advisory Committee
    • Oct 2020 Thu 01
      9:30 am—12:30 pm Power Committee Webinar
    • Oct 2020 Tue 06
      1:30 pm—4:00 pm Resource Adequacy - Technical Committee
    • Oct 2020 Wed 07
      9:00 am—12:30 pm System Analysis Advisory Committee
    • Oct 2020 Thu 22
      1:00 pm—4:00 pm System Analysis Advisory Committee
    • Oct 2020 Fri 23
      9:00 am—10:30 am Conservation Resources Advisory Committee
    • Oct 2020 Tue 27
      10:00 am—12:30 pm Demand Response Advisory Committee
    • Nov 2020 Wed 04
      9:30 am—12:30 pm System Analysis Advisory Committee
    • Nov 2020 Mon 30
      1:00 pm—4:00 pm System Analysis Advisory Committee
    • Dec 2020 Tue 01
      9:00 am—12:00 pm Resource Adequacy - Technical Committee
    • Dec 2020 Wed 02
      9:30 am—11:00 am Generating Resources Advisory Committee
    • Dec 2020 Thu 03
      9:00 am—11:00 am Power Committee Webinar
    • Dec 2020 Wed 09
      9:30 am—12:30 pm System Analysis Advisory Committee
    • Dec 2020 Fri 11
      9:30 am—11:30 am Resource Adequacy - Steering Committee
    • Dec 2020 Thu 17
      9:00 am—12:00 pm Conservation Resources Advisory Committee
    • Jan 2021 Fri 08
      9:00 am—12:30 pm System Analysis and Resource Adequacy Combined Committee Meeting
    • Jan 2021 Tue 19
      1:00 pm—4:00 pm System Analysis Advisory Committee
    • Jan 2021 Tue 26
      9:00 am—12:00 pm Conservation Resources Advisory Committee
    • Jan 2021 Thu 28
      8:30 am—11:30 am Power Committee Webinar
    • Feb 2021 Wed 03
      9:00 am—12:30 pm System Analysis Advisory Committee
    • Feb 2021 Mon 08
      1:00 pm—4:00 pm Demand Response Advisory Committee
    • Feb 2021 Wed 17
      9:00 am—12:30 pm System Analysis Advisory Committee
    • Feb 2021 Fri 19
      9:00 am—3:30 pm SIF: 2021 Power Plan and DEI
    • Feb 2021 Wed 24
      8:30 am—11:30 am Power Committee Webinar
    • Feb 2021 Thu 25
      9:00 am—12:00 pm Conservation Resources Advisory Committee
    • Mar 2021 Wed 03
      9:00 am—12:30 pm System Analysis Advisory Committee
    • Mar 2021 Wed 17
      9:00 am—12:30 pm System Analysis Advisory Committee
    • Mar 2021 Wed 24
      8:30 am—11:30 am Power Committee Webinar
    • Apr 2021 Wed 21
      8:30 am—11:30 am Power Committee Webinar
    • May 2021 Wed 26
      8:30 am—11:30 am Power Committee Webinar
    View Council Meetings View all Meetings
  • Reports and Documents

    Browse reports and documents relevant to the Council's work on fish and wildlife and energy planning, as well as administrative reports.

    Browse reports

    Reports by Topic

    • Power Plan
    • Fish and Wildlife Program
    • Subbasin Plans
    • Financial Reports
    • Independent Scientific Advisory Board
    • Independent Scientific Review Panel
    • Independent Economic Analysis Board

    Columbia River History Project

Close

News

  1. State of Northwest Utilities in 2019

    Jan 3, 2021 Carol Winkel
    Flat load growth continues and on site solar takes off.

  2. Clean air, affordable power and environmental mitigation: Northwest Power Act turns 40

    Dec 16, 2020
    Four decades ago, legislators and policymakers in the Pacific Northwest took a revolutionary leap of faith, writing a law that changed the direction of the region's energy future and made fish and wildlife co-equal with other purposes of hydropower dams in the Columbia River Basin.

  3. Wholesale Electricity Prices Come Into Focus

    Dec 4, 2020 Carol Winkel
    Throughout the West, retiring coal plants and a plethora of clean energy policies in states, municipalities, and utilities have changed how electricity markets function, adding even more uncertainty to an already challenging enterprise: forecasting the future.

  4. Could California’s Summer Rolling Blackouts Happen in the Northwest?

    Oct 20, 2020 Carol Winkel
    Could the Northwest experience rolling blackouts? “Yes,” says John Fazio, senior power systems analyst. “And it almost happened in 2001.”

  5. Survey: 2019 Energy Efficiency Improvements Would Power 158,000 Northwest Homes

    Sep 16, 2020 John Harrison
    The 2019 accomplishments bring the total energy efficiency improvements in the Northwest since 1978, when efficiency programs began, to 7,000 average megawatts. That's more than twice the annual output of Grand Coulee Dam.

  6. Electricity Price Forecast Trends: Lots of Renewables as Clean Energy Policies Drive Resource Development

    Aug 25, 2020 Carol Winkel
    At the Council’s August power committee meeting, John Ollis presented the preliminary findings of the Council’s wholesale electricity price forecast. The forecast is used in developing the Council’s resource strategy for its regional power plan.

  7. Canadian Columbia Basin Glaciers are Shrinking

    Aug 4, 2020 John Harrison
    Five years of research shows the warming climate is causing glaciers to retreat. There are implications for the Columbia River water supply.

  8. NW Natural's Plan for a Carbon Neutral System by 2050

    Jul 17, 2020 Carol Winkel
    Oregon's legislation opens the door for NW Natural to acquire renewable natural gas for its customers.

  9. Take the Power Plan Stakeholder Survey

    Jul 16, 2020
    Take a quick 7-question survey on what information is most helpful to you

  10. Gauging the Impact of Upstream Methane Leaks

    Jun 22, 2020 Carol Winkel
    At its June Council meeting, Principal Analyst Steven Simmons presented the staff’s recommendation for emission inputs from natural gas and coal production, which will be used in developing the Council’s 2021 Power Plan.

  11. In the Mix: Testing Small Modular Reactors as a Future Energy Source

    Jun 22, 2020 Carol Winkel
    At the June power committee meeting, Senior Policy Analyst Gillian Charles reviewed the primary generating resource reference plants developed for inclusion in the draft 2021 Power Plan and presented the proposed emerging technology reference plant that will be included as a resource option in the plan’s scenario analysis.

  12. Bonneville Power Administration’s Potential for Achieving Energy Efficiency and Demand Response

    Jun 22, 2020 Carol Winkel
    At the June power committee meeting, staff presented an update on the supply curves for energy efficiency and demand response they will use to help analyze the resources available to the BPA in meeting its future obligations.

  13. Assessing Future Energy Efficiency

    May 21, 2020 Carol Winkel
    At its May meeting, power division staff presented an assessment of the region’s energy efficiency potential that will be used in the 2021 Power Plan’s resource optimization and scenario analysis.

  14. Update on Annual Greenhouse Emissions From the Power Sector

    May 20, 2020 Annika Roberts
    Annual carbon emissions from electricity generation in the Northwest have remained mostly flat over the last three years. With three average hydro years in a row, the region has been able to rely on steady, low-carbon energy from hydro, supplemented with primarily natural gas, as well as some coal, wind, and energy efficiency.

  15. Regional Technical Forum 2019 Annual Report

    May 20, 2020 Carol Winkel
    The RTF Annual Report was presented at the Council’s May meeting, highlighting the ongoing work to verify energy savings in the Northwest, as well as some new areas to be analyzed.

  16. Electricity Load Outside the Northwest Expected to be Modest; California is a Big Exception

    Apr 27, 2020 Carol Winkel
    While the northwest load forecast shows moderate growth overall, states pursuing high electrification policies should see significant increases in their load growth. California’s load is expected to increase from 30,000 average megawatts in 2021 to 53,000 average megawatts by 2050 as it strives to decarbonize its economy.

  17. Accounting for Climate Change in the 2021 Power Plan

    Apr 27, 2020 Carol Winkel
    Climate change affects many aspects of the Council’s analysis for its upcoming regional power plan. At its April meeting, staff reviewed how warming weather will be addressed in analyzing future resource development and energy efficiency.

  18. Council Objects To Trump Administration Proposals That Would Raise BPA Power Cost, Sell Transmission System

    Mar 23, 2020
    It's not the first time an administration has proposed raising the cost of power sold by the Bonneville Power Administration, and all previous attempts have failed. This one should, too, the Council asserts in a letter to the Northwest Congressional delegation.

  19. Demand Response Potential

    Mar 19, 2020 Carol Winkel
    Demand response is the voluntary and temporary reduction in consumers' electricity use when the power system is stressed, and it's one of the ways the region can meet its peak electricity loads.

  20. Potential for Strong Energy Efficiency Savings

    Mar 18, 2020 Carol Winkel
    Cost-effective energy efficiency is the priority resource in the Council's regional power plan, and it's now the region's second largest resource after hydropower.

  21. Rollback of Efficiency Standards for Light Bulbs Creates Challenges in Setting Efficiency Targets for 2021 Power Plan

    Feb 26, 2020 Annika Roberts
    The past two years have seen upheaval around federal efficiency standards for several appliances, including dishwashers and clothes washers, but especially for lightbulbs.

  22. Exploring Key Power Supply Questions Through Scenario Analysis

    Feb 26, 2020 Ben Kujala
    The Council’s regional power plan is not just an opinion of how the region should supply electricity. It is a strategy developed through a rigorous analytical process, conducted in the public sphere, where interested parties are invited to participate.

  23. Lower Load Growth is Forecast Over the Next 30 Years

    Feb 24, 2020 Carol Winkel
    Demand for electricity in the Northwest is expected to remain low over the next 20-30 years, thanks in part to the growing use of on-site solar generation at homes and businesses.

  24. Assessing Geothermal Energy Potential

    Feb 20, 2020 Carol Winkel
    The Pacific Northwest is literally a hotbed of geothermal activity. Part of the so-called Ring of Fire, an area of volcanoes and seismic activity, with hot spots deep within the Earth's mantle, the region is a prime location for geothermal energy.

  25. Regional Power Planning in the Pacific Northwest

    Jan 24, 2020 Carol Winkel
    Why is the Northwest’s approach to energy planning so different from other places in the world? Read about the history behind our regional planning, its advantages, and how the Council’s power plan is developed.
Results per Page

Pages

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • ›
  • »
Topicclear
  • Energy Remove Energy filter
  • Fish and wildlife (244) Apply Fish and wildlife filter
  • Public affairs (2) Apply Public affairs filter
Author
  • Andrea Goodwin (1) Apply Andrea Goodwin filter
  • Annika Roberts (3) Apply Annika Roberts filter
  • Ben Kujala (9) Apply Ben Kujala filter
  • Carol Winkel (55) Apply Carol Winkel filter
  • Garrett Herndon (4) Apply Garrett Herndon filter
  • Gillian Charles (3) Apply Gillian Charles filter
  • Jennifer Light (1) Apply Jennifer Light filter
  • John Harrison (19) Apply John Harrison filter
  • John Ollis (2) Apply John Ollis filter
  • Mark Walker (3) Apply Mark Walker filter
  • Massoud Jourabchi (2) Apply Massoud Jourabchi filter
  • Steve Simmons (3) Apply Steve Simmons filter
Tag
  • 164 (1) Apply 164 filter
  • 170 (1) Apply 170 filter
  • 172 (1) Apply 172 filter
  • 2021powerplan (15) Apply 2021powerplan filter
  • Aquifer Storage (1) Apply Aquifer Storage filter
  • Batteries (1) Apply Batteries filter
  • Battery Storage (1) Apply Battery Storage filter
  • BitCoin (2) Apply BitCoin filter
  • Bonneville Power Administration (8) Apply Bonneville Power Administration filter
  • Cannabis (1) Apply Cannabis filter
  • Carbon Emissions (5) Apply Carbon Emissions filter
  • Climate Change (4) Apply Climate Change filter
  • Coal Generation (1) Apply Coal Generation filter
  • Columbia Grid (1) Apply Columbia Grid filter
  • Columbia River (1) Apply Columbia River filter
  • Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program (1) Apply Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program filter
  • Conservation (4) Apply Conservation filter
  • Cryptocurrencies (3) Apply Cryptocurrencies filter
  • Demand Response (1) Apply Demand Response filter
  • Efficiency Exchange (2) Apply Efficiency Exchange filter
  • Electric vehicles (2) Apply Electric vehicles filter
  • Electricity Grid (1) Apply Electricity Grid filter
  • Emissions (1) Apply Emissions filter
  • Energy Conservation (2) Apply Energy Conservation filter
  • Energy Efficiency (15) Apply Energy Efficiency filter
  • Energy storage (2) Apply Energy storage filter
  • Hydropower (5) Apply Hydropower filter
  • Invasive Species (2) Apply Invasive Species filter
  • Lake Rufus Woods (1) Apply Lake Rufus Woods filter
  • Montana Wind (1) Apply Montana Wind filter
  • Mussels (1) Apply Mussels filter
  • Natual gas (1) Apply Natual gas filter
  • NEEA (1) Apply NEEA filter
  • Northwest Natural (1) Apply Northwest Natural filter
  • Northwest Power Supply (1) Apply Northwest Power Supply filter
  • Northwest Power System (1) Apply Northwest Power System filter
  • Portland General Electric (1) Apply Portland General Electric filter
  • Power planning (2) Apply Power planning filter
  • Pumped Storage (3) Apply Pumped Storage filter
  • Renewable energy (3) Apply Renewable energy filter
  • Renewable gas (1) Apply Renewable gas filter
  • Renewable resources (1) Apply Renewable resources filter
  • Resource Adequacy (2) Apply Resource Adequacy filter
  • Salmon Recovery (1) Apply Salmon Recovery filter
  • Seventh Power Plan (1) Apply Seventh Power Plan filter
  • Shell Energy (1) Apply Shell Energy filter
  • solar (1) Apply solar filter
  • Solar Power (3) Apply Solar Power filter
  • Transmission (2) Apply Transmission filter
  • Wind Generation (9) Apply Wind Generation filter
Apply
RSS

Social Media:

Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkedIn Vimeo Flickr

Sign up for our Newsletter

Contact

  • Central Office
  • Idaho Office
  • Montana Office
  • Oregon Office
  • Washington Office
  • Council Members

Social Media:

Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkedIn Vimeo Flickr

Copyright 2021

Footer Menu

  • Privacy policy
  • Terms & Conditions
Top