Portland General Electric Co. (PGE), which serves 877,000 customers in 51 cities in Oregon, has issued a request for proposals (RFP) seeking an additional 100 average megawatts of renewable energy sources.
PGE shared the RFP in draft form with potential bidders and stakeholders earlier this year, and on May 16, it received final Oregon Public Utility Commission (OPUC) sign-off to move forward with the competitive bidding process. After final adjustments to reflect commission direction, the RFP is now open for bids.
“We are committed to reducing our greenhouse-gas emissions,” says Maria Pope, PGE’s president and CEO. “Continuing to add renewable resources to our mix while keeping electricity affordable for our customers is key to that effort.”
Due June 15, bids submitted must meet a minimum size of 10 MW. They can represent multiple technologies, including geothermal, biomass, biogas, solar wind and hydroelectric power. Bids can also be structured in a variety of ways, including power purchase agreements or proposals for facilities that PGE would own and operate. If bids received prove cost-effective for service to customers, PGE may acquire a single resource or a mix of resources. PGE expects the resources acquired to be brought into the company’s portfolio no later than 2021.
The RFP is a significant step in implementing PGE’s current integrated resource plan, which the OPUC acknowledged in 2017, and it will be conducted under guidelines established by the commission. Consistent with those guidelines, the OPUC has retained an independent evaluator, Bates White, to monitor PGE’s procurement process. Bates White is hosting a website where bidders and stakeholders can ask questions regarding the RFP. The RFP and supporting documents are available here.
