S7. It is unclear whether demand for electricity will increase or decrease; electric loads served by natural gas-fired generation will have to be reduced or replaced by renewable energy.
Portland’s electricity is provided by Portland General Electric (PGE) and Pacific Power; natural gas is provided by Northwest Natural. To meet the demand for electricity, electric utilities must either produce power from their own generating plants or purchase electricity from other producers under contract or on the spot market.
As demand for electricity grows, utilities must expand capacity to meet the load. The Oregon Public Utility Commission requires utilities to develop Integrated Resource Plans (IRP) identifying the least-cost ways to meet load growth, including energy efficiency and renewable energy. Since the early 1990s the least-cost way to meet load growth has routinely appeared to be natural gas generation. Natural gas currently is used to generate between 7 and 25 percent of the electricity distributed in Oregon, depending on weather conditions and utility company. Utility IRPs use or modify forecast