Oregon and Washington Residents Have Until Friday to Comment on Plan for Surging Power Demand From Data Centers
Oregon and Washington residents have until Friday, Oct. 16, to weigh in on a proposed regional power strategy designed to meet the Pacific Northwest’s growing electricity needs over the coming years.
Friday’s Deadline for Public Comments on Northwest Power Plan
The Northwest Power and Conservation Council is accepting public comments on its draft Ninth Power Plan, released in August.
The plan outlines a proposed mix of new energy generation, storage, and efficiency measures intended to support an adequate, reliable, and cost-effective power supply across Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana.
The public comment period gives residents and other interested parties an opportunity to respond to the recommendations before the Council finalizes the plan.
Comments can be submitted online at projects.nwcouncil.org/powerplan.
The Proposed NW Expansion and What is Driving Demand
The draft plan estimates that meeting regional electricity needs by 2032 will require more than 11,000 megawatts of additional generation capacity, over 5,000 megawatts of storage and more than 1,000 average megawatts of energy efficiency, alongside other resources.
The proposed portfolio includes renewable energy, natural gas, demand response and voltage regulation, as well as conservation measures.
The Council proposes an energy-efficiency target of 860 average megawatts for Oregon and Washington combined, and 200 average megawatts for Idaho and Montana.
The region currently has approximately 70,000 megawatts of total electricity generation nameplate capacity.
The proposed additions reflect anticipated growth in demand, with data centers expected to be a major near-term driver. Electrification of vehicles, buildings and industry, as well as economic and population growth, is expected to contribute to longer-term increases.
The draft also recommends standards to improve energy efficiency in new data centers. Other proposals include working with data center operators to make electricity use more flexible, potentially through demand-response programs or backup generation.
The Council developed the draft with more than 80 regional partners, including utilities, industries, regulators, tribal representatives, universities and public-interest groups.
The Council will use public feedback to help strengthen its recommendations before adopting a final Ninth Power Plan. The strategy seeks to guide regional energy planning for the years ahead.