PacifiCorp Seeks 1,100 Megawatts of Renewable Energy

February 11, 2004

PacifiCorp, a utility that serves much of the northwestern United States, announced on February 5th that it is seeking to add up to 1,100 megawatts of new renewable energy resources in the next seven years. The company had just received final regulatory approval to issue its request for proposals, which is one of the largest requests for renewable energy yet issued in the United States. In the region of Oregon, Washington, and northern California, PacifiCorp seeks to add 100 megawatts by 2005, another 200 megawatts by 2007, and yet another 200 megawatts by 2009. In the region of Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming, the company seeks to add 200 megawatts every two years, from 2006 to 2010. By 2013, PacifiCorp's Integrated Resource Plan calls for the addition of 1,400 megawatts of new renewable energy sources. See the PacifiCorp press release.

PacifiCorp is holding a bidder's conference today in Portland, Oregon. Proposals are due on March 9th, and the company aims to have agreements in place by mid-June. See the PacifiCorp request for proposals.

The news is sure to add extra excitement to the World Renewable Energy Congress (WREC), to be held in Denver, Colorado, from August 28th through September 3rd. The conference—billed as the world's premiere conference on renewable energy—is sponsored in part by DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and the American Council on Renewable Energy, and will be hosted by DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). NREL is also working with the Infinity Expo Group to host the Energy Technology Expo and Conference (ETEC), which will be co-located with WREC. ETEC runs from August 31st through September 1st. See the WREC and ETEC Web pages.