The Oregon Public Utility Commission (Commission) declined to approve both PacifiCorp and Portland General Electric (PGE) explored their options for acquiring new renewable resources. The utilities proposed expedited request for proposals (RFP) to take full advantage of the federal production tax credit (PTC), before it begins stepping down in 2017, to help meet the new renewable portfolio standards implemented by SB 1547. Neither utility will acquire new renewable resources at this time. [Read more…]
Oregon Commission Declines to Interfere with PacifiCorp’s Requests for Proposals
May 24, 2016 By
On May 19, 2016, the Oregon Public Utility Commission (Oregon Commission) denied Northwest and Intermountain Power Producers Coalition’s (NIPPC) petition for temporary rulemaking and investigation into PacifiCorp’s 2016 requests for proposals (RFP). NIPPC requested the Oregon Commission temporarily prohibit utilities from acquiring new renewable resources outside of the Oregon Commission’s competitive bidding guidelines. Although the Oregon Commission expressed sympathy for the concerns addressed in the petition, it concluded that it did not have the legal authority to prohibit utility ownership and declined to impose a partial remedy that might be seen as legitimizing PacifiCorp’s RFPs. [Read more…]
Oregon Commission Does Not Approve NW Natural’s CHP Program
April 8, 2016 By
On March 30, 2016, the Oregon Public Utility Commission (Oregon Commission) denied Northwest Natural Gas Company’s (NW Natural) proposed Combined Heat and Power greenhouse emission reduction program (CHP Program). While the CHP Program was not approved, the Oregon Commission indicated support for voluntary natural gas emission reduction programs and suggested an alternative program design that it would approve. [Read more…]
Oregon Commission Maintains 20 Year PURPA Contracts
April 7, 2016 By
On March 29, 2016, the Oregon Public Utility Commission (Oregon Commission) issued two orders resolving issues in PacifiCorp’s and Idaho Power’s separate proposals to lower the contract term and size thresholds for qualifying facilities (QF). The Oregon Commission retained the twenty-year contract term, with fifteen years of fixed prices. The Oregon Commission lowered the size threshold for published rates for solar QFs only to 3 megawatts (MW), but also allowed solar QFs to use standard contracts up to 10 MW in size. The Commission did not alter the size threshold for any other QFs. [Read more…]
PacifiCorp’s Oregon Avoided Cost Rate Reduction Rejected
April 6, 2016 By
On March 22, 2016, the Oregon Public Utility Commission (Oregon Commission) issued an order rejecting PacifiCorp’s avoided cost rate reduction. PacifiCorp claimed not to need new renewable resources, which the Oregon Commission did not believe because the recent amendments to the Oregon renewable portfolio standard will double the utility’s need to acquire new renewable resources. The Commission directed PacifiCorp to work with staff, and other interested parties to establish a process to review PacifiCorp’s avoided cost rates. [Read more…]
