Pacific Power submits initial Clean Energy Implementation Plan in Washington

YAKIMA, Wash. — Pacific Power’s first Clean Energy Implementation Plan (CEIP), filed with the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission as a draft Nov. 1, is available for public comment. The development of the draft plan has drawn new and vital voices into the process of achieving Washington’s clean energy future.

Pacific Power hopes to continue to receive input from its customers and communities as it charts a path to achieve this energy future safely, securely and reliably, and in a way that reduces burdens on Washington’s most vulnerable communities.

This feedback will inform the company’s final 2022 CEIP plan to be filed Jan. 1, 2022. The public can provide feedback at a virtual public participation meeting from 6 p.m. to 8 pm on Nov. 10, 2021. Meeting details can be found at pacificorp.com/ceip. Comments can also be submitted via email at CEIP@pacificorp.com.  

“For several years, we have been on a path that advances clean energy and the necessary infrastructure to deliver it, powering jobs and innovation,” said Shay LaBray, vice president of resource planning and acquisitions. “This is furthered in our 2021 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), which advances the company’s ongoing commitment to clean energy with new renewable and non-emitting energy, transmission, energy efficiency, demand response, and storage technology.” 

The draft CEIP is available for viewing and comments at pacificorp.com/ceip.

CEIP background

Pacific Power’s first CEIP fulfills key provisions of Washington State’s Clean Energy Transformation Act (CETA), passed into law in May 2019. The legislation directs utilities to pursue a clean energy future while assuring that benefits from transforming to clean power are equitably distributed among all Washingtonians, all at a reasonable cost. 

This CEIP, when final, will detail the specific actions Pacific Power will take through 2025 to demonstrate progress toward CETA’s clean energy goals. Specifically, utilities must show that by Dec. 31, 2025, all coal-fired generation has been removed from Washington’s allocation of electricity. By Jan. 1, 2030, utilities must be greenhouse gas (GHG) neutral, and by 2045, 100 percent of Washington’s electricity supply must come from renewable and non-emitting resources.

Highlights of the draft plan

• Increasing renewable resources. In 2020, about 22 percent of Washington customer usage came from renewable and non-emitting energy resources. The interim target for this CEIP is 50 percent by 2025, increasing to 81 percent by 2030 and 94 percent by 2040. Beyond 2040, the company will continue its trajectory to 100 percent clean energy for Washington customers by 2045. 
• The plan proposes energy efficiency targets to reduce customer usage through incentives and customer programs with an increased focus on delivery to communities identified as highly impacted or vulnerable. Pacific Power will also look for ways to lower peak usage during critical periods by developing demand response programs.
• Customer Benefit Indicators (CBIs) are proposed as a way of tracking whether customer are benefitting from the transition to clean energy over time and responding to issues as the plan unfolds.
• Increased community outreach and engagement steps are also proposed to help all Pacific Power customers participate in the transition, regardless of economic or cultural circumstances.