Pacificorp
Date: 2019-10-11
In its just released $3.1 billion Energy Vision 2020 -- Integrated Resource Plan Berkshire Hathaway Energy subsidiary PacifiCorp Energy reports it plans to continue its transition away from coal with the closing of three Wyoming coal-fired power plants totaling 1,159 MW by 2037, and a nearly 60 pct expansion or upgrading of its current owned and contracted wind fleet. (Source: Pacificorp, Cody Enterprise, 7 Oct., 2019))Contact: PacifiCorp, www.pacificorp.com

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Rocky Mountain Power, PacifiCorp
Date: 2019-10-09
Salt Lake City-based PacifiCorp, which operates as Rocky Mountain Power in Utah, Wyoming and Idaho, has released a draft of its 2019 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) that continues investments in new wind generation and transmission, while adding significant new solar and storage resources as follows:

WIND -- More than 3,500 MW of new wind generation by 2025, including resources acquired through customer partnerships, and a total of more than 4,600 MW of new wind generation by 2038,

More than 1,500 MW of new wind generation that is currently under construction, including new wind projects in Wyoming as part of the company’s Energy Vision 2020 initiative

1,920 MW of additional new wind generation in Wyoming by 2024

1,100 MW of new wind generation in Idaho in the 2030 to 2032 time frame.

SOLAR & STORAGE -- Nearly 3,000 MW of new solar by 2025, including resources acquired through customer partnerships, and more than 6,300 MW of new solar by 2038

Nearly 600 MW of battery storage by 2025 and more than 2,800 MW of battery storage by 2038

3,000 MW of new solar in Utah paired with 635 MW of battery storage, phased in between 2020 and 2037

1,415 MW of new solar in Wyoming paired with 354 MW of battery storage, phased in between 2024 and 2038

1,075 MW of new solar in Oregon paired with 244 MW of battery storage, phased in between 2020 and 2033

814 MW of new solar in Washington paired with 204 MW of battery storage, phased in between 2024 and 2036

PacifiCorp develops and seeks regulatory acknowledgement of its long-term resource plans every two years to account for changing market conditions, new policies and other factors that determine the least-cost resource portfolio. (Source: PacifiCorp, SweetwaterNow, Oct., 2019) Contact: PacifiCorp, Chad Teply, VP Business Policy and Dev., www.pacificorp.com/irp

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PacifiCorp, Eugene Water & Electric
Date: 2019-08-16
PacifiCorp is reporting the purchase of the Eugene Water & Electric Board's (EWEB) 21 pct stake in the south-central Wyoming Foote 1 wind farm for $1.7 million.

EWEB operated the facility for two decades and acknowledge a loss on the sale. EWEB originally invested $13 million in the $60 million wind farm which cost the utility $880,900 per year to maintain and operate the wind farm.

As previously reported, PacifiCorp plans to upgrade the 41.4-MW wind farm by replacing the facility's original 68, 600-kilowatt wind turbines with 13 new, state-of-the-art units. (Source: Eugene Water & Electric, Register-Guard, 15 Aug., 2019)Contact: EWEB, 541-685-7000, www.eweb.org; PacifiCorp, www.pacificorp.com

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Rocky Mountain Power
Date: 2019-06-12
Salt Lake City-headquartered Rocky Mountain Power (RMP), a unit of Portland, Ore.-based PacifiCorp., a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, reports its Energy Vision 2020 plan for the construction of three wind parks, the re-powering of two existing wind farms and the installation of a new high-voltage transmission line is underway in Wyoming.

The projects include the Ekola and TB Flats I & II wind farms in Wyoming's Carbon County and the Cedar Springs wind park in Converse County, totaling 1,150 MW. The re-powering projects will upgrade existing wind turbines in Converse and Carbon counties, and the Gateway West Transmission project will install a 140-mile (225km) transmission line in Sweetwater and Carbon counties. (Source: Rocky Mountain Power, Renewables, 11 June, 2019) Contact: Rocky Mountain Power, Rita Meyer, VP, (800) 222-4335, www.rockymountainpower.net

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PacifiCorp
Date: 2019-02-27
PacifiCorp is reporting the upcoming re-powering of 1998-1999 vintage 68 turbine Rocky Mountain Power Foote Creek Rim 1 wind farm near Arlington with 12 new 2-4 MW turbines. According to conditional use permit documents, work on the estimated $51.7 million project is slated for an April startup for completion within 18 months.

Another influential factor involves the wind production tax incentive. Per this initiative, if PacifiCorp fails to get construction underway prior to 2020, they will not qualify for 2.4 cents per kWh provided by the incentive. (Source: PacifiCorp, Wyoming News Exchange, 25 Feb., 2019)Contact: PacifiCorp, www.pacificorp.com; Rocky Mountain Power, Rita Meyer, VP, (800) 222-4335, www.rockymountainpower.net

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PacifiCorp
Date: 2018-07-25
Berkshire Hathaway Energy subsidiary PacifiCorp Energy is reporting receipt of the final two state approvals for its previously announced $3 billion Energy Vision 2020 initiative.

The initiative calls for construction of three new wind farms in Wyoming totaling 1,150 MW, the addition of a new 140-mile high-voltage transmission line in the same state, and the repowering of 900 MW of existing wind parks in Wyoming and Washington States.

Portland, Oregon-based PacifiCorp has received favourable orders for the plan from the Idaho Public Utilities Commission and the Utah Public Service Commission. Wyoming issued its conditional Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity in April. Oregon and Washington have come out in support of the plan, which is still pending acquisition of remaining rights of way,permitting and execution of final contracts. Construction and commissioning, as well as the repowering work, slated for 2019. The new wind farms and the transmission line are expected to be completed in 2020. The initiative will increase the amount of owned and contracted wind capacity on PacifiCorp's system by over 60 pct, according to the company. (Source: PacifiCorp Energy, July, 2018) Contact: PacifiCorp Energy, Laine Anderson, Director of Wind Operations, www.pacificorp.com

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Rocky Mountain Power
Date: 2018-06-06
Salt Lake City-headquartered Rocky Mountain Power (RMP), a unit of Portland, Ore.-based PacifiCorp., a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, reports it is seeking bids for new solar, wind and geothermal projects in Utah as part of an effort to increase renewable power generation on the PacifiCorp system.

The company is seeking proposals for 308,000 MWh of power generation -- approximately 40 MW of geothermal capacity or approximately 100 to 126 MW of wind or solar capacity -- sufficient power for about 34,000 typical Utah homes.

Customers sponsoring the request for proposal include Park City, Salt Lake City, Summit County, Park City Mountain Resort, Deer Valley Resort, and Utah Valley University, which are all working with Rocky Mountain Power to meet their clean air and sustainability goals through renewable energy. (Source: Rocky Mountain Power, Sun Advocate, 4 June, 2018)Contact: Rocky Mountain Power, Rita Meyer, VP, (800) 222-4335, www.rockymountainpower.net

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PacifiCorp
Date: 2017-10-02
Portland, Oregon-based PacifiCorp Energy reports the issuance of an RFP seeking up to 1,270 MW of wind resources as well as a new 140-mile, 500-kV transmission line delivering power into the utility's Wyoming system, to be completed by the end of 2020.

To qualify, projects can be located in Wyoming, Oregon or Utah. The company will consider projects bid with power purchase agreements for up to 30 years, or "Build-Transfer" agreements where the bidder develops the project but ultimately transfers the project to PacifiCorp. Proposals for new or repowered wind resources must demonstrate that projects will qualify for the federal production tax credit, if applicable, and can be online by Dec. 31, 2020.

PacifiCorp reportedly aims to add another 859 MW of new wind capacity -- 85 MW in Wyoming and 774 MW in Idaho -- 1,000 MW or more of new solar capacity Between 2028 and 2036. (Source: PaifiCorp, UtilityDive, Various Other Media, 29 Sept., 2017) Contact: PacifiCorp Energy, Laine Anderson, Director of Wind Operations, www.pacificorp.com

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Rocky Mountain Power
Date: 2017-09-13
Salt Lake City-headquartered Rocky Mountain Power (RMP), a unit of Portland, Ore.-based PacifiCorp., a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, reports it will invest $3.5 billion in transmission capability, wind power and other infrastructure in Wyoming by 2020.

Rocky Mountain Power, which serves approximately 1.1 million customers in in Wyoming, Utah and Idaho, has an energy-generating capacity of about 55 pct coal, 25 pct natural gas, 10 pct hydroelectric, and 10 pct wind and other sources, according to its promotional literature. The utility also plans to add 1,100 MW of new wind power by repowering existing Wyoming wind farms with longer blades and newer technology in 2020 when wind production tax credits are expected to end. (Source: Rocky Mountain Power, Twitter, 12 Sept., 2017) Contact: Wyoming Rocky Mountain Power , www.rockymountainpower.net

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PacifiCorp Energy
Date: 2017-08-09
Portland, Oregon-based, PacifiCorp Energy reports it is refitting and "re-powering" its fleet 2008-vintage wind turbines near Medicine Bow, Wyoming, with longer blades and newer technology to increase power production capacity.

The upgrades are expected to increase output of the wind projects by 20 pct on average while extending the operating life of the projects and thus allow the projects to re-qualify for federal production tax credits for an additional 10 years. (Source: PacifiCorp Energy, Saratoga Sun, 2 Aug., 2017) Contact: PacifiCorp Energy, Laine Anderson, Director of Wind Operations, www.pacificorp.com

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PacifiCorp
Date: 2017-04-10
In a recent regulatory filing, Portland, Oregon-headquartered PacifiCorp reported it is looking to build or enter power purchase agreements for an additional 1,100 MW of wind energy, mostly in Wyoming, at an expected initial cost of $3.5 billion over the next four years. The utility also plans to build a 140-mile transmission line there to accommodate the new and re-powered resources.

PacifiCorp also intends to retire over 3,600 MW of coal plants by 2036 -- about 60 pct of its coal fleet -- starting at the end of 2018. It also plans to add another 850 MW of wind energy between 2028 and 2036, plus another 1,040 MW of solar over the same period. The plan is to bring the initial 2,000 MW of wind turbines and supporting transmission into service by the end of 2020 to capture the full value of federal production tax credits. (Source: PacifiCorp, PR, Oregonian, 4 April, 2017) Contact: PacifiCorp, Stefan Bird, www.pacificorp.com

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Rocky Mountain Power ,CoalSwith,Active Energy Group
Date: 2017-02-06
Following on our Nov. 30, 2016 coverage, Utah-headquartered utility Rocky Mountain Power (RMP), a unit of Pacificorp, reports it will test CoalSwitch, a new biomass fuel made from forest and woody biomass residues. CoalSwitch, which is produced by Active Energy Group Plc,, can be blended with coal in order to cut power plant fossil fuel consumption and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

UK-based Active Energy, which manages woodlands and develops clean-energy products, is seeking to supply its fuel to utilities willing to switch to biomass in order to cut carbon emissions. In November, the London-based company obtained funding for its first industrial-scale plant which will be located in Canada, according to Bloomberg.

RMP is planning an 18-hour test using a 10 pct blend of CoalSwitch and 90 pct coal in late 2017 . (Source: Active Energy Group , RMP, Bloombery, 6 Feb., 2017) Contact: AEG, Richard Spinks, CEO, www.active-energy.com/aeg-coalswitch; Rocky Mountain Power, Rita Meyer, VP, (800) 222-4335, www.rockymountainpower.net

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