ODOE Senior Policy Analyst Tours Oregon’s Public Utilities
Thirty-eight consumer-owned utilities – including people’s utility districts, co-ops, and municipalities – provide electricity services to Oregon communities.
In fact, geographically speaking, COU territories cover the majority of our state. These COUs are an important partner to the Oregon Department of Energy, so one of our Senior Policy Analysts, Adam Schultz, visited with representatives of 33 COUs at 26 different COU locations this year – with more in the works!
The focus of the tour has been multi-faceted. Schultz has been sharing ODOE’s new Oregon Guidebook for Local Energy Resilience: for Small and Medium Electric Utilities. The guidebook is the result of a partnership between ODOE and Central Lincoln People’s Utility District that was developed during a grid modernization policy academy sponsored by the National Governors Association. It identifies incremental actions electric utilities can take today so they are better prepared in the event of a major emergency, like a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake or a catastrophic wildfire. Schultz also brought up issues related to balancing fish and power objectives within the Federal Columbia River Power System, and initiated discussions about how recent changes in the energy markets might affect the future of the Bonneville Power Administration and individual COUs. Perhaps most importantly, the goal has been to listen and learn more about the individual perspectives of Oregon’s public utilities and to better understand what issues and concerns matter most to them.
“I was there to hear from them on a wide range of issues,” said Schultz. “I’ve appreciated their candid feedback, which will help us identify areas where we, as a state agency, can better serve their needs and address their areas of concern around Oregon’s energy future.”
Schultz learned on his tour that Oregon’s COUs are increasingly focusing on resilience issues. The top-of-mind threats vary considerably across the state, with wildfire probably at the top of the list followed by concerns about a Cascadia earthquake. COUs are already working hard to improve the resilience of their systems – for example, Harney Electric Co-op successfully acquired FEMA Pre-Disaster Mitigation funding that paid for undergrounding power lines to three mountaintop communication sites.
The public utilities are also embracing innovation and thinking creatively about how to take advantage of advancements in the electric industry, from deploying community solar to investing in grid modernization and supporting electric vehicles and charging infrastructure.
“There’s value in showing up in every corner of the state to take time to sit down with utility general managers and staff to hear what concerns are on their mind,” said Schultz, who hopes to get back to northeast Oregon to hike in the Wallowa Mountains. “It’s also a tremendous learning experience that I think future ODOE employees can gain from.
“Nothing beats the education that comes from seeing things with boots on the ground.”
