THE DALLES — On Tuesday, Sept. 29, the Northwest Power and Conservation Council will host a public hearing on its proposed Ninth Power Plan from 4:30-6:30 pm. at the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center, 5000 Discovery Dr., in the MJ Murdock Theater.
The council is accepting public comment on the draft plan until Oct. 16, while it works to finalize and complete the Ninth Plan by the end of 2026 or early in 2027.
“The Northwest Power Act provides all residents of our region with a voice in planning for our energy future,” said Oregon Council Member Margi Hoffmann, Chair of the Council’s Power Committee. “We are keenly interested in ideas and recommendations for how to improve our draft proposal. We invite the public to attend an upcoming hearing in-person or online, learn about our proposed plan, and share their thoughts to how to improve the Northwest power system’s economics, reliability, and adequacy.”
Primary components of the draft plan include a load forecast of the Pacific Northwest’s need for energy over the next 20 years, as well as a proposed regional portfolio of cost-effective resources to add to the region’s power system and meet the growing need for energy by 2032.
Covering low- and high-end trajectories, the council’s load forecast found that the power system will grow by 50-100% by 2046. The council's plans will help ensure the power system's growth occurs cost-effectively and smoothly over the next 20 years.
In the near term (prior to 2032), data centers and the tech sector will be the largest sources of load growth in the Northwest, but other sectors are forecast to grow over the next six years as well. Over the long-term (post-2032), electrification of transportation, buildings, and industries as well as population and economic growth will be the largest drivers of future electricity demand in the region.
To meet future energy needs, the draft power plan includes a proposed resource strategy to add to the power system by 2032:
1,060 average megawatts (aMW) worth of energy efficiency
590 MW worth of demand response
220 MW worth of voltage regulation
9,000 MW worth of renewables
5,200 MW worth of storage
2,100 MW worth of natural gas
Under the Northwest Power Act of 1980, the Council represents the Pacific Northwest in developing a regional power plan. The governors of Oregon, Idaho, Washington, and Montana appoint two Council Members each. The power plans are reviewed and updated on roughly five-year cycles. According to this cycle, the Council's next plan will be developed in the early 2030s.
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