4.6 KiB
Dane Sabo NUCE 2122 - Summer 2025
Instructions:
Pick a metropolitan area in the US and identify the responsible electric utility. For that utility, summarize the following based on internet information:
- Number, type, MWE rating and age of power plants producing electricity for that utility
- Published strategy for new power plants to be added and plans for specific plants to be shutdown
- % of gas fired plants compared to coal, nuclear, and resource energy*
Send the completed summary to chris67ta@gmail.com
Submission
For my selection of a metropolitan area, I chose the Portland Oregon MSA.
There are two major electric utilities in Portland: Portland General Electric serves most of Portland west of the Wilamette River, while Pacific Power and Portland General Electric share the eastern side of the metro area.
Portland General Electric (PGE) will be the focus of this assignment, as they are the main supplier in Portland.
PGE has the following facility breakdown:
Active Facilities
| Plant Name | Plant Type | Generation Capacity | % of Cap | Commissioned |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beaver Gen. Plnt. | Comb. Cycle Nat. Gas | 511 MWe | 12.9% | 1976 |
| Port Westward High Eff. Gas Pwr. Plnt. | Nat. Gas | 607 MWe | 15.3% | 2007 |
| Carty Gen. Plnt. | Comb. Cycle Nat. Gas | 436 MWe | 11.0% | 2016 |
| Coyote Springs Gen. Plnt. | Comb. Cycle Nat. Gas | 257 MWe | 6.5% | 2003 |
| Colstrip Pwr. Plnt. 3&4 | Coal | 296 MWe | 7.5% | 1984 |
| Faraday | Hydro | 46 MWe | 1.2% | 1907 |
| North Fork | Hydro | 58 MWe | 1.5% | 1958 |
| Oak Grove | Hydro | 43 MWe | 1.1% | 1956 |
| River Mill | Hydro | 25 MWe | 0.6% | 1911 |
| T.W. Sullivan | Hydro | 18 MWe | 0.5% | 1889 |
| Pelton Dam | Hydro | 57 MWe | 1.4% | 1958 |
| Round Butte Dam | Hydro | 187 MWe | 4.7% | 1964 |
| Biglow Canyon | Wind | 450 MWe (max) | 11.4% | 2005 |
| Tucannon River | Wind | 267 MWe (max) | 6.7% | 2012 |
| Marion County | Waste-to-Energy | 13 MWe | 0.3% | 1987 |
| Clearwater | Wind | 311 MWe (max) | 7.8% | 2024 |
| Wheatridge (Wind) | Wind | 300 MWe (max) | 7.6% | 2020 |
| Wheatridge (Solar) | Solar | 50 MWe (max) | 1.3% | 2022 |
| Wheatridge (Battery) | Battery | 30 MWe (max) | 0.8% | 2022 |
Percent Natural Gas: 45.7%
Percent Coal: 7.5%
Percent Hydro: 11.0%
Percent Wind: 33.5%
Percent Other: 2.3%
Decomissioned Facilities
| Plant Name | Plant Type | Generation Capacity | Decomissioned |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boardman Gen. Plnt. | Coal | 601 MWe | 2020 |
| Bull Run | Hydro | 22 MWe | 2007 |
| Trojan Nuclear Plnt. | Nuclear | 1130 MWe | 1992 |
Plans for Future Plants
PGE's biggest plans for the future include the exit of investment from the Colstrip coal power plant, 3200 MW of Requests for Proposals for renewable sources and storages, and at least 500 MW of rooftop solar installations.
PGE, at the current moment, is looking to