For more than a year, PacifiCorp has been working on its integrated resources plan, or the forecast for the mix of energy resources the six-state, 1.9-million customer utility will need over the next 20 years.
Much of the focus on this year’s IRP has been on PacifiCorp’s coal-fired power plant fleet — how much of it could be retired early and replaced with wind, solar, energy storage and other carbon-free resources, and how much money that could save PacifiCorp’s customers.
While the numbers emerging from PacifiCorp’s analysis of these questions have shifted over time, they’ve consistently revealed an underlying fact: Closing some of its least competitive coal plants earlier than planned will save the Berkshire Hathaway-owned utility, and its customers, hundreds of millions of dollars over the next 20 years.
In fact, the figures are only getting better as the analysis becomes more thorough and realistic.
Source: Greentech Media
