February 2025 Newsletter

Oregon Energy Strategy: Save the Dates

The Oregon Department of Energy has kicked off the next phase of developing the Oregon Energy Strategy, and there are many ways Oregonians can weigh in over the next few months. We hope you can join us for these important conversations as we work toward a final energy strategy in November 2025.

Many thanks to those who joined our recent public meetings, including our launch of modeling results on January 31 and two forums held on February 27 where we presented key takeaways from modeling results. Meeting recordings and relevant materials are available on ODOE’s website.

Coming up, ODOE will hold a public information session online on March 13 at 1:30 p.m. to share results of the Energy Wallet and Air Quality complementary analyses, and will hold two more public forums on April 24 to gather input as we dive into developing policy recommendations for the Oregon Energy Strategy. Meeting information and relevant materials will be available on ODOE’s website. Sign up for Oregon Energy Strategy emails to receive future meeting announcements and engagement opportunities.

The Oregon Energy Strategy Advisory Group continues to meet monthly, and topic-based Working Groups will gather this spring to move policy discussions forward. These meetings are also open for the public to listen in.

Note that meeting dates are subject to change due to the Oregon 2025 Legislative Session calendar. Keep an eye on our website for the latest information and materials. Oregonians are also invited to submit comments about the energy strategy through our online comment portal.

Update on Federal Funding

Over the past couple of years, the Oregon Department of Energy and our partners have worked to bring millions of dollars in federal funding into the state to support energy efficiency, renewable, and resilience programs, in addition to bolstering workforce development. Between the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, Oregon has been awarded nearly $300 million for energy-related programs. Some of these programs are up and running and others are still in the planning phase. Among Oregon’s awards:

$50 million for Grid Resilience projects
Nearly $87 million for Solar for All
$113 million for Home Energy Rebates
$197 million Climate Pollution Reduction Grant
$1.2 million for Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant projects
$2 million for training for Energy Auditor Training
And more!

ODOE is closely monitoring federal actions and presidential executive orders and reviewing what effects they may have on the work we do in Oregon. We will provide updates as we know more. In the meantime, we are committed to our mission of maintaining a resilient and affordable energy system in Oregon, and we will continue moving forward on implementation plans for our federal awards.

Energy Facilities Spotlight: Compliance

Dozens of state-jurisdiction energy facilities across the state – including wind, solar, natural gas, and other energy generation facilities – help keep the lights on in Oregon homes, businesses, schools, and other buildings.

The governor-appointed and senate-confirmed Energy Facility Siting Council is responsible for overseeing the development of large electric generating facilities, high voltage transmission lines, gas pipelines, radioactive waste disposal sites, and other projects. This state-level oversight of energy facilities helps ensure that Oregon has an adequate energy supply while protecting Oregon’s environment and public safety.

The Oregon Department of Energy, which staffs the Energy Facility Siting Council, has provided overviews of the facility siting process, information about state jurisdiction and administrative rulemaking, and other areas of Oregon’s state siting process on our blog to help Oregonians better understand and get involved in facility siting.

So what happens after facilities are approved or built? Who makes sure the facilities are operating safely and meeting state requirements?

The Oregon Department of Energy’s energy facility compliance program ensures that state-jurisdiction facilities are constructed, operated, and retired in compliance with a facility’s Site Certificate – which outlines how a facility will meet Oregon’s siting standards – along with state law and administrative rules. Our team, on behalf of EFSC, monitors facilities to ensure they meet terms and conditions.

Learn all about our compliance program on ODOE's blog.

ODOE at 50: Investing in Renewable Energy

In case you missed it, 2025 marks the Oregon Department of Energy's 50th year serving Oregon! As we continue leading Oregon to a safe, equitable, clean, and sustainable future for the next 50 years (and beyond!), we’re taking time to look back and reflect on what got us here.

Almost since its inception, ODOE has offered incentive programs to help Oregonians across the state invest in energy efficiency and renewable energy. Between 2012 and 2019, the Renewable Energy Development Grant Program awarded grants for energy projects to Tribes, businesses, nonprofits, organizations, public bodies, and schools. ODOE’s program used a two-tier grant award system so similarly sized projects competed against each other, which ensured smaller projects could remain competitive.

The program also tapped into an innovative funding source – an independently administered auction of tax credits – to help the agency serve more Oregonians without using scarce state general fund dollars. In 2018, ODOE’s RED Grant Program was awarded a national State Leadership in Clean Energy (SLICE) award from the Clean Energy States Alliance. CESA — a nonprofit coalition of public agencies working together to advance clean energy — established the biennial awards to highlight model programs and projects that have accelerated the adoption of clean energy technologies and strengthened clean energy markets. (ODOE also won a SLICE award in 2022 for the Oregon Solar + Storage Rebate Program.) Read more about RED Grant history on our blog.

ODOE continues to offer energy incentive and grant programs today, like the Community Renewable Energy Grant Program. Learn more about all our available incentives on our website.

Reports from Around the Agency

Join our team! Check out open recruitments on our website and please share with your networks.
The Oregon Department of Energy currently has a Request for Proposals open for potential program administrator services for our home energy rebate programs. Learn more on OregonBuys – responses are due March 5, 2025.
On February 10-11, ODOE presented our agency's 2025-2027 biennial budget to the Joint Ways & Means Subcommittee on Natural Resources. View the presentation recording and related materials on the legislature's website.
Thanks to those who joined our 2024 Biennial Energy Report informational webinar on February 19! We enjoyed the opportunity to walk through the report's topics with attendees – and we're already looking ahead to our 2026 report. If you missed it, you can check out a recording on our website.
Our friends at Energy Trust of Oregon published a story featuring a recent heat pump project in Corvallis that helped make a 1970s eightplex safer and more comfortable for its tenants. The energy efficient heat pump installations were made possible thanks to incentives from both Energy Trust and the Oregon Department of Energy. Learn more about our heat pump incentive programs.
Speaking of heat pumps, ODOE is working toward launching a new Heat Pump Purchase Program in Spring 2025. The new program, made possible by a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Climate Pollution Reduction Grant, will offer $2,000 incentives for homeowners, rental property owners, and new construction/builders. Learn more on our website and sign up to receive email updates.
On February 11, staff from across ODOE's divisions joined with partner agencies and organizations for an annual nuclear emergency exercise for the Columbia Generating Station Nuclear Power Plant in south-central Washington. ODOE activated the Agency Operations Center and practiced how we'd respond to an emergency that could affect Oregon. The exercise is graded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency every two years, most recently in 2024.
This morning, February 28, ODOE is welcoming a group of Hermiston High School Future Farmers of America students to listen to a presentation about solar and farmland in Oregon. ODOE's team is excited to hear from the students as well as enjoy an opportunity to share more about energy in Oregon.
In early February, ODOE Director Janine Benner and Assistant Director for Planning and Innovation Alan Zelenka attended the National Association for State Energy Officials' 2025 Energy Policy Outlook Conference in Washington, D.C. Janine, who serves on the NASEO Board of Directors as the Western Region representative, moderated a conference panel on the Need for Transmission and the Role of Advanced Grid Solutions as well as the Western Regional Meeting. Alan moderated a panel on Expanding Energy Options: Strategies to Advance Energy Infrastructure Siting at the Local Level.
ODOE Facilities Engineer Stephanie Kruse and Energy Analyst Tom Elliott hosted an information booth at the 2025 Oregon Small Farms Conference on February 15 at Oregon State University. ODOE was proud to sponsor the event. Learn more about how ODOE can support agricultural producers and rural small businesses on our website.
On February 11, Senior Clean Electricity Policy Analyst Joni Sliger presented to the Oregon Rural Electric Cooperative Association, providing an overview to Oregon rural co-ops so they understand their obligations under the Renewable Portfolio Standard. 2025 is the first year small utilities will need to report on their renewable electricity compliance with the RPS.
Are you a rural Oregonian saving money by driving an electric vehicle? Our friends at Wy’East Resource Conservation & Development are looking for proud EV owners to feature in a campaign with the goal of helping other rural Oregonians learn how much they can save by switching to an EV. Interested? Please fill out Wy’East’s short interest form by March 31: https://forms.gle/GZgPuL4BKQi5s4Et6
We were excited to see our friends at the Oregon Department of Transportation announce 57 eligible projects for Oregon's Community Charging Rebates Program. The program is part of ODOT’s $100 million commitment to accelerate the deployment of EV charging along major roads and within Oregon communities over the next five years. Learn more on Go Electric Oregon.
Did you know ODOE's Energy Facility Siting Team is currently reviewing more than a dozen proposed or amended energy facilities? From wind to solar facilities – to combined wind, solar, and storage facilities – you can learn more about the state's process and how to get involved on our website. You can also sign up to receive a monthly facility siting update showing the latest and greatest.