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PGE asks Oregon regulators to consider a slower clean-energy path
Portland General Electric says it may struggle to meet Oregon’s 2030 emissions target while keeping power reliable and affordable. Its proposed alternative would cut emissions about 60% by 2030, rather than the law’s required 80%.
Portland General Electric is asking Oregon utility regulators to give it more flexibility as it works toward the state’s clean-energy deadlines, warning that securing enough renewable power by 2030 could prove difficult and costly.
A revised plan filed Thursday with the Oregon Public Utility Commission lays out options for meeting the requirements of House Bill 2021, Oregon’s 2021 climate law. The law requires investor-owned utilities to cut greenhouse gas emissions 80% by 2030 and eliminate them by 2040, while showing progress along the way.
PGE says it has already reduced emissions 25% from the law’s baseline, even as electricity demand has increased. But reaching the 2030 target would require nearly 7 gigawatts of additional renewable resources in the next four years — nearly twice the capacity of the power plants PGE owns today. The company serves about 950,000 customers and also buys power from other suppliers.
The utility’s proposed “Continued Progress Portfolio” would add 3.4 gigawatts of renewables, cutting emissions roughly 60% by 2030 and more than 70% by 2035. PGE says the approach would let it respond to market conditions while balancing emissions cuts, reliability and customer costs. Kristen Sheeran, the company’s vice president of policy and sustainability, said PGE intends to keep making progress toward the law’s goals.
PGE points to competition for renewable projects, limited transmission capacity, lengthy permitting and faster-than-expected electricity demand growth — including from data centers — as obstacles. It also cites rising project costs, tariffs and the elimination of federal tax credits that the company says had reduced project costs by 20% to 40%.
The company estimates that the portfolio designed to meet the 80% target would cost $3.5 billion annually in 2030, compared with $2.9 billion for the 60% portfolio. PGE did not project how either scenario would affect customer bills; the costs would eventually be reflected in rates.
PGE expects about 1 gigawatt of planned solar and battery projects to come online in 2027 and 2028. It has also shortlisted 12 additional proposals totaling about 5 gigawatts, but Sheeran said there is no guarantee the company can secure those projects or their power. The filing begins a public review expected to continue through the second quarter of 2027.