HomeMy WebLinkAbout20130430Volume I 2013 IRP.pdfApril 30, 2 0 1 3
Let’s turn the answers on.
Integrated
Resource
Plan
Volume 1
2 0 1 3
This 2013 Integrated Resource Plan Report is based upon the best available information at the time of
preparation. The IRP action plan will be implemented as described herein, but is subject to change as new
information becomes available or as circumstances change. It is PacifiCorp’s intention to revisit and
refresh the IRP action plan no less frequently than annually. Any refreshed IRP action plan will be
submitted to the State Commissions for their information.
For more information, contact:
PacifiCorp
IRP Resource Planning
825 N.E. Multnomah, Suite 600
Portland, Oregon 97232
(503) 813-5245
irp@pacificorp.com
http://www.pacificorp.com
This report is printed on recycled paper
Cover Photos (Top to Bottom):
Transmission: Sigurd to Red Butte Transmission Segment G
Hydroelectric:Lemolo 1 on North Umpqua River
Wind Turbine:Leaning Juniper I Wind Project
Thermal-Gas:Chehalis Power Plant
Solar:Black Cap Photovoltaic Solar Project
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP TABLE OF CONTENTS
i
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS .............................................................................................................. I
INDEX OF TABLES ................................................................................................................ VII
INDEX OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................ IX
CHAPTER 1 – EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................ 1
2013 IRP HIGHLIGHTS .............................................................................................................................. 1
MODELING AND PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS .............................................................................................. 3
RESOURCE NEED ...................................................................................................................................... 5
FUTURE RESOURCE OPTIONS AND PORTFOLIO MODELING ...................................................................... 7
THE 2013 IRP PREFERRED PORTFOLIO ................................................................................................... 11
THE 2013 IRP ACTION PLAN .................................................................................................................. 14
CHAPTER 2 – INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................ 21
2013 INTEGRATED RESOURCE PLAN COMPONENTS ............................................................................... 22
THE ROLE OF PACIFICORP’S INTEGRATED RESOURCE PLANNING ......................................................... 23
PUBLIC PROCESS ..................................................................................................................................... 23
CHAPTER 3 – THE PLANNING ENVIRONMENT ............................................................. 27
INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................... 27
WHOLESALE ELECTRICITY MARKETS .................................................................................................... 28
Natural Gas Uncertainty .................................................................................................................... 29
THE FUTURE OF FEDERAL ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION AND LEGISLATION .................................... 32
Timing of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Regulation ........................................................ 32
Federal Climate Change Legislation ................................................................................................. 33
EPA REGULATORY UPDATE – GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS ............................................................... 33
New Source Review / Prevention of Significant Deterioration (NSR / PSD) ..................................... 33
Guidance for Best Available Control Technology (BACT) ................................................................ 34
New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for Greenhouse Gases ................................................ 34
EPA REGULATORY UPDATE – NON-GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS ...................................................... 35
Clean Air Act Criteria Pollutants – National Ambient Air Quality Standards .................................. 35
Clean Air Transport Rule ................................................................................................................... 35
Regional Haze .................................................................................................................................... 36
Mercury and Hazardous Air Pollutants ............................................................................................. 37
Coal Combustion Residuals ............................................................................................................... 38
Water Quality Standards .................................................................................................................... 38
Cooling Water Intake Structures ................................................................................................................... 38
Effluent Limit Guidelines .............................................................................................................................. 39
STATE CLIMATE CHANGE REGULATION ................................................................................................ 39
California ........................................................................................................................................... 39
Oregon and Washington ..................................................................................................................... 40
Greenhouse Gas Emission Performance Standards ........................................................................... 40
RENEWABLE PORTFOLIO STANDARDS ................................................................................................... 41
California ........................................................................................................................................... 42
Oregon ................................................................................................................................................ 44
Utah .................................................................................................................................................... 45
Washington ......................................................................................................................................... 46
Federal Renewable Portfolio Standard .............................................................................................. 46
HYDROELECTRIC RELICENSING .............................................................................................................. 47
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Potential Impact ................................................................................................................................. 48
Treatment in the IRP .......................................................................................................................... 48
PacifiCorp’s Approach to Hydroelectric Relicensing ........................................................................ 48
RATE DESIGN INFORMATION .................................................................................................................. 48
ENERGY IMBALANCE MARKET ............................................................................................................... 50
RECENT RESOURCE PROCUREMENT ACTIVITIES .................................................................................... 50
All-Source Request for Proposals ...................................................................................................... 51
Demand-side Resources ..................................................................................................................... 51
Oregon Solar Request for Proposal ................................................................................................... 52
Natural Gas Transportation Request for Proposals .......................................................................... 52
Natural Gas Request for Proposals .................................................................................................... 53
Natural Gas Transportation Request for Proposals .......................................................................... 53
Renewable Energy Credit (REC) Request for Proposals ................................................................... 53
Renewable Energy Credit (REC) Request for Proposals – Oregon ............................................................... 54
Renewable Energy Credit (REC) Request for Proposals - Washington ........................................................ 54
Renewable Energy Credit (REC) Request for Proposals - California ........................................................... 54
Short-term Market Power Request for Proposals .............................................................................. 54
CHAPTER 4 – TRANSMISSION ............................................................................................. 55
INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................... 56
REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS ............................................................................................................... 56
Open Access Transmission Tariff ....................................................................................................... 56
Reliability Standards .......................................................................................................................... 57
IRP Feedback ..................................................................................................................................... 57
SYSTEM OPERATIONAL AND RELIABILITY BENEFITS TOOL ................................................................... 58
Background ........................................................................................................................................ 58
Benefits Evaluated .............................................................................................................................. 59
Operational Cost Savings (economic driven) ................................................................................................ 59
Segment Loss Savings (energy and capacity) ............................................................................................... 59
System Reliability Benefits ........................................................................................................................... 60
Customer and Regulatory Benefits ................................................................................................................ 61
Avoided Capital Cost .................................................................................................................................... 61
Improved Generation Dispatch (reliability driven) ....................................................................................... 62
Wheeling Revenue Opportunity .................................................................................................................... 62
REQUEST FOR ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF SIGURD TO RED BUTTE ........................................................... 62
FACTORS SUPPORTING ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ........................................................................................ 63
Improved Transmission System Capacity ........................................................................................... 63
Enhanced Transfer Capability to Promote Energy Transfers ............................................................ 63
Improved Transmission System Reliability ........................................................................................ 64
Sigurd to Red Butte Cost Benefit Analysis ......................................................................................... 64
GATEWAY WEST – CONTINUED PERMITTING......................................................................................... 65
Windstar to Populus ........................................................................................................................... 66
Preliminary SBT Analysis – Windstar to Populus (Segment D) ......................................................... 66
Plan to Continue Permitting Gateway West ....................................................................................... 67
EVOLUTION OF THE ENERGY GATEWAY TRANSMISSION EXPANSION PLAN ......................................... 67
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 67
Background ........................................................................................................................................ 67
Planning Initiatives ............................................................................................................................ 68
Energy Gateway Configuration .......................................................................................................... 70
Energy Gateway’s Continued Evolution ............................................................................................ 71
EFFORTS TO MAXIMIZE EXISTING SYSTEM CAPABILITY ....................................................................... 75
CHAPTER 5 – RESOURCE NEEDS ASSESSMENT ............................................................ 79
INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................... 80
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP TABLE OF CONTENTS
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SYSTEM COINCIDENT PEAK LOAD FORECAST ........................................................................................ 80
EXISTING RESOURCES ............................................................................................................................ 80
Thermal Plants ................................................................................................................................... 81
Renewables ......................................................................................................................................... 83
Wind .............................................................................................................................................................. 83
Geothermal .................................................................................................................................................... 84
Biomass / Biogas ........................................................................................................................................... 84
Renewables Net Metering ............................................................................................................................. 84
Hydroelectric Generation................................................................................................................... 85
Hydroelectric Relicensing Impacts on Generation ........................................................................................ 86
Demand-side Management ................................................................................................................. 87
Class 1 Demand-side Management ............................................................................................................... 89
Class 2 Demand-side Management ............................................................................................................... 89
Class 3 Demand-side Management ............................................................................................................... 89
Class 4 Demand-side Management ............................................................................................................... 90
Power Purchase Contracts ................................................................................................................. 91
LOAD AND RESOURCE BALANCE ............................................................................................................ 92
Capacity and Energy Balance Overview ............................................................................................ 92
Load and Resource Balance Components .......................................................................................... 92
Existing Resources ........................................................................................................................................ 93
Obligation ...................................................................................................................................................... 94
Reserves ........................................................................................................................................................ 95
Position .......................................................................................................................................................... 95
Reserve Margin ............................................................................................................................................. 95
Capacity Balance Determination ....................................................................................................... 96
Methodology ................................................................................................................................................. 96
Load and Resource Balance Assumptions..................................................................................................... 96
Capacity Balance Results .............................................................................................................................. 97
Energy Balance Determination ........................................................................................................ 101
Methodology ............................................................................................................................................... 101
Energy Balance Results .................................................................................................................... 102
Load and Resource Balance Conclusions ........................................................................................ 105
CHAPTER 6 – RESOURCE OPTIONS ................................................................................. 107
INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................... 107
SUPPLY-SIDE RESOURCES ..................................................................................................................... 107
Derivation of Resource Attributes .................................................................................................... 108
Handling of Technology Improvement Trends and Cost Uncertainties ........................................... 109
Resource Options and Attributes ...................................................................................................... 111
Distributed Generation ................................................................................................................................ 124
Resource Option Description ........................................................................................................... 128
Coal ............................................................................................................................................................. 128
Coal Plant Efficiency Improvements ........................................................................................................... 129
Natural Gas .................................................................................................................................................. 129
Wind ............................................................................................................................................................ 131
Other Renewable Resources ........................................................................................................................ 132
Distributed Supply Side Resources ............................................................................................................. 137
Nuclear ........................................................................................................................................................ 139
Energy Storage ............................................................................................................................................ 139
DEMAND-SIDE RESOURCES .................................................................................................................. 140
Resource Options and Attributes ...................................................................................................... 140
Source of Demand-side Management Resource Data ................................................................................. 140
Demand-side Management Supply Curves ................................................................................................. 140
TRANSMISSION RESOURCES ................................................................................................................. 151
MARKET PURCHASES............................................................................................................................ 154
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP TABLE OF CONTENTS
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CHAPTER 7 – MODELING AND PORTFOLIO EVALUATION APPROACH ............. 157
INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................... 157
PORTFOLIO MODELING: SYSTEM OPTIMIZER ....................................................................................... 159
Modeling Capital Costs and Addressing “End-Effects” .................................................................. 160
Modeling Front Office Transactions ................................................................................................ 160
Modeling Wind and Solar Resources ............................................................................................... 161
Modeling Coal Unit Environmental Investments ............................................................................. 161
Reserve Margin Requirement ........................................................................................................... 162
Modeling Energy Gateway Transmission Scenarios ........................................................................ 162
Modeling Energy Storage Technologies .......................................................................................... 163
GENERAL ASSUMPTIONS AND PRICE INPUTS ....................................................................................... 163
Study Period and Date Conventions ................................................................................................ 163
Escalation Rates and Other Financial Parameters .......................................................................... 164
Inflation Rates ............................................................................................................................................. 164
Discount Factor ........................................................................................................................................... 164
Federal Renewable Resource Tax Incentives .............................................................................................. 164
Asset Lives .................................................................................................................................................. 164
Transmission System Representation ............................................................................................... 165
CARBON DIOXIDE REGULATORY COMPLIANCE SCENARIOS ................................................................ 167
Carbon Dioxide Scenarios ............................................................................................................... 167
Zero CO2 Price Scenario ............................................................................................................................. 167
Medium CO2 Price Scenario ....................................................................................................................... 167
High CO2 Price Scenario ............................................................................................................................. 167
U.S. Hard Cap, Medium Natural Gas CO2 Price Scenario .......................................................................... 167
U.S. Hard Cap, High Natural Gas CO2 Price Scenario ............................................................................... 168
Oregon Environmental Cost Guideline Compliance ........................................................................ 170
PHASE (1) CASE DEFINITION ................................................................................................................ 171
Case Specifications .......................................................................................................................... 171
PHASE (2) SCENARIO PRICE FORECAST DEVELOPMENT....................................................................... 176
Gas and Electricity Price Forecasts ................................................................................................ 178
Price Projections Tied to the High Forecast ................................................................................................ 181
Price Projections Tied to the Medium Forecast ........................................................................................... 182
Price Projections Tied to the Low Forecast ................................................................................................. 184
PHASE (3) OPTIMIZED PORTFOLIO DEVELOPMENT: NO RPS CASES .................................................... 185
PHASE (4) ESTABLISHING A RENEWABLE RESOURCE FLOOR .............................................................. 186
PHASE (5) OPTIMIZED PORTFOLIO DEVELOPMENT: RPS CASES .......................................................... 187
PHASE (6) MONTE CARLO PRODUCTION COST SIMULATION ............................................................... 187
The Stochastic Model ....................................................................................................................... 188
Stochastic Model Parameter Estimation .......................................................................................... 188
Monte Carlo Simulation ................................................................................................................... 191
Stochastic Portfolio Performance Measures .................................................................................... 195
Stochastic Mean PVRR ............................................................................................................................... 196
Risk-adjusted Mean PVRR ......................................................................................................................... 196
Ten-year Customer Rate Impact .................................................................................................................. 197
Upper-Tail Mean PVRR .............................................................................................................................. 197
95th and 5th Percentile PVRR ....................................................................................................................... 197
Production Cost Standard Deviation ........................................................................................................... 197
Average and Upper-Tail Energy Not Served .............................................................................................. 197
Loss of Load Probability (LOLP)................................................................................................................ 198
Fuel Source Diversity .................................................................................................................................. 198
PHASE (7) TOP-PERFORMING PORTFOLIO SELECTION.......................................................................... 198
Initial Screening ............................................................................................................................... 198
Final Screening ................................................................................................................................ 200
PHASE (8): PRELIMINARY AND FINAL PREFERRED PORTFOLIO SELECTION ......................................... 200
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP TABLE OF CONTENTS
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CHAPTER 8 – MODELING AND PORTFOLIO SELECTION RESULTS ..................... 201
INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................... 202
PREFERRED PORTFOLIO SELECTION ..................................................................................................... 202
Core Case Portfolio Results ............................................................................................................. 202
Carbon Dioxide Emissions .......................................................................................................................... 210
Pre-Screening Results ...................................................................................................................... 212
Initial Screening Results ................................................................................................................... 216
Final Screening Results .................................................................................................................... 218
Risk-adjusted PVRR ................................................................................................................................... 218
Cumulative Carbon Dioxide Emissions ...................................................................................................... 219
Supply Reliability ........................................................................................................................................ 220
Preferred Portfolio Selection ........................................................................................................... 221
Deliverability of Accelerated Class 2 DSM and Resource Constraints ....................................................... 222
Resource Diversity ...................................................................................................................................... 222
Preliminary Selection .................................................................................................................................. 224
Final Selection ............................................................................................................................................. 224
THE 2013 IRP PREFERRED PORTFOLIO ................................................................................................. 226
Summary Reports ............................................................................................................................. 226
Preferred Portfolio Compliance with Renewable Portfolio Standard Requirements ...................... 232
Preferred Portfolio Carbon Dioxide Emissions ............................................................................... 233
SENSITIVITY ANALYSES ....................................................................................................................... 234
System Optimizer Sensitivity Cases .................................................................................................. 234
Load Sensitivities (S01, S02, and S03) ....................................................................................................... 235
Extension of PTC and ITC (S05 and S06) .................................................................................................. 237
Endogenous Selection of Resources to Meet RPS Requirements (S07) ...................................................... 237
2013 Business Plan Portfolio (S08) ............................................................................................................. 238
Resurgence of Renewable Resources (S09) ................................................................................................ 239
Class 3 DSM (S10) ...................................................................................................................................... 239
ADDITIONAL ANALYSIS ........................................................................................................................ 239
Trigger Point Analysis...................................................................................................................... 239
Oregon Greenhouse Gas Goals ....................................................................................................... 240
CHAPTER 9 – ACTION PLAN .............................................................................................. 243
INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................... 244
THE INTEGRATED RESOURCE PLAN ACTION PLAN .............................................................................. 244
THE 2013 IRP ACTION PLAN ................................................................................................................ 245
PROGRESS ON PREVIOUS ACTION PLAN ITEMS .................................................................................... 252
Action Item 1: Renewable / Distributed Generation 2021-2020 ...................................................... 252
Action Item 2: Intermediate/ Base-load Thermal Supply-side Resources 2014-2016 ...................... 255
Action Item 3: Firm Market Purchases 2011-2020 .......................................................................... 256
Action Item 4: Plant Efficiency Improvements 2011-2020 ............................................................... 256
Action Item 5: Class 1 DSM 2011-2020 ........................................................................................... 257
Action Item 6: Class 2 DSM 2011-2020 ........................................................................................... 257
Action Item 7: Class 3 DSM 2011-2020 ........................................................................................... 259
Action Item 8: Planning Process Improvements Process Improvement .......................................... 261
Action Item 9: Coal Resource Actions.............................................................................................. 261
Action Item 10: Transmission........................................................................................................... 263
Action Item 11: Planning Reserve Margin ....................................................................................... 263
ACQUISITION PATH ANALYSIS ............................................................................................................. 264
Resource Strategies .......................................................................................................................... 264
Acquisition Path Decision Mechanism ............................................................................................. 265
PROCUREMENT DELAYS ....................................................................................................................... 268
IRP ACTION PLAN LINKAGE TO BUSINESS PLANNING ......................................................................... 269
RESOURCE PROCUREMENT STRATEGY ................................................................................................. 271
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Renewable Energy Credits ............................................................................................................... 272
Demand-side Management ............................................................................................................... 272
Distributed Generation..................................................................................................................... 272
ASSESSMENT OF OWNING ASSETS VERSUS PURCHASING POWER ........................................................ 273
MANAGING CARBON RISK FOR EXISTING PLANTS ............................................................................... 273
PURPOSE OF HEDGING .......................................................................................................................... 274
Risk Management Policy and Hedging Program ............................................................................. 274
Cost Minimization ............................................................................................................................ 276
Portfolio ........................................................................................................................................... 276
Effectiveness Measure ...................................................................................................................... 277
Instruments ....................................................................................................................................... 277
External Review ................................................................................................................................ 277
Commission Review .......................................................................................................................... 280
TREATMENT OF CUSTOMER AND INVESTOR RISKS .............................................................................. 281
Stochastic Risk Assessment .............................................................................................................. 281
Capital Cost Risks ............................................................................................................................ 281
Scenario Risk Assessment ................................................................................................................. 281
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP INDEX OF TABLES
vii
INDEX OF TABLES
Table ES.1 – PacifiCorp 10-year Capacity Position Forecast (Megawatts) ................................................. 5
Table ES.2 – 2013 IRP Resource Options* .................................................................................................. 8
Table ES.3 – 2013 IRP Preferred Portfolio ................................................................................................. 11
Table ES.4 – 2013 IRP Action Plan ............................................................................................................ 14
Table 2.1 – 2013 IRP Public Meetings ....................................................................................................... 24
Table 3.1 – State RPS Requirements .......................................................................................................... 41
Table 3.2 – California Compliance Period Requirements .......................................................................... 42
Table 3.3 – California Balanced Portfolio Requirements ........................................................................... 43
Table 3.4 – PacifiCorp’s Request for Proposal Activities .......................................................................... 50
Table 4.1 – SBT-Derived Values for Sigurd to Red Butte ......................................................................... 65
Table 4.2 – Windstar to Populus Benefits Calculation ............................................................................... 67
Table 5.1 – Forecasted System Coincidental Peak Load in Megawatts, Prior to Energy Efficiency
Reductions .......................................................................................................................................... 80
Table 5.2 – 2013 Capacity Contribution at System Peak for Existing Resources ...................................... 81
Table 5.3 – Coal Fired Plants ...................................................................................................................... 81
Table 5.4 – Natural Gas Plants.................................................................................................................... 82
Table 5.5 – PacifiCorp-owned Wind Resources ......................................................................................... 83
Table 5.6 – Wind Power Purchase Agreements and Exchanges ................................................................. 83
Table 5.7 – Hydroelectric Contracts - Load and Resource Balance Capacities .......................................... 85
Table 5.8 – PacifiCorp Owned Hydroelectric Generation Facilities - Load and Resource Balance
Capacities ........................................................................................................................................... 85
Table 5.9 – Estimated Impact of FERC License Renewals and Relicensing Settlement Commitments on
Hydroelectric Generation ................................................................................................................... 86
Table 5.10 – Existing DSM Summary, 2013-2022 ..................................................................................... 90
Table 5.11 – Old IRP Format: System Capacity Loads and Resources without Resource Additions ........ 98
Table 5.12 – Updated Format: System Capacity Loads and Resources without Resource Additions ....... 99
Table 6.1 - 2013 Supply Side Resource Table (2012$) ............................................................................ 112
Table 6.1 - 2013 Supply Side Resource Table (2012$) (Continued) ........................................................ 113
Table 6.2 – Total Resource Cost for Supply-Side Resource Options, $0 CO2 Tax ................................. 114
Table 6.2 – Total Resource Cost for Supply-Side Resource Options, $0 CO2 Tax (Continued) ............. 115
Table 6.2 – Total Resource Cost for Supply-Side Resource Options, $0 CO2 Tax (Continued) ............. 116
Table 6.2 – Total Resource Cost for Supply-Side Resource Options, $0 CO2 Tax (Continued) ............. 117
Table 6.3 – Total Resource Cost for Supply-Side Resource Options, $16 CO2 Tax ................................ 118
Table 6.3 – Total Resource Cost for Supply-Side Resource Options, $16 CO2 Tax (Continued) ............ 119
Table 6.3 – Total Resource Cost for Supply-Side Resource Options, $16 CO2 Tax (Continued) ............ 120
Table 6.4- Glossary of Terms from Supply Side Resource Table ............................................................ 121
Table 6.5 – Glossary of Acronyms Used in the Supply Side Resource Table .......................................... 122
Table 6.6 – Total Resource Cost, Natural Gas-fired plants at varying Capacity Factors (2012$) ............ 123
Table 6.7- Distributed Generation Resource Supply-Side Options .......................................................... 125
Table 6.8 – Distributed Generation Total Resource Cost, $0 CO2 Tax .................................................... 126
Table 6.9 – Distributed Generation Total Resource Cost, $16 CO2 Tax .................................................. 127
Table 6.10 – Cumulative Wind Selection Limits by Year and Energy Gateway Scenario ....................... 132
Table 6.11 – 2010 Geothermal Study Results ........................................................................................... 133
Table 6.12 – 2012 Geothermal Study Results ........................................................................................... 134
Table 6.13 – Distributed Generation Resource Attributes ........................................................................ 138
Table 6.14 –HDR Energy Storage Study Summary Cost and Capacity Results (2011$) ......................... 139
Table 6.15 –HDR Storage Study, Normalized Battery Cost Comparison (2011$) ................................... 140
Table 6.16 – Class 1 DSM Program Attributes West Control Area ......................................................... 143
Table 6.17 – Class 1 DSM Program Attributes East Control Area ........................................................... 143
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP INDEX OF TABLES
viii
Table 6.18 – Class 3 DSM Program Attributes, West Control Area ........................................................ 144
Table 6.19 – Class 3 DSM Program Attributes, East Control area ........................................................... 145
Table 6.20 – Class 2 DSM MWh Potential by Cost Bundle ..................................................................... 148
Table 6.21 – Class 2 DSM Adjusted Prices by Cost Bundle .................................................................... 149
Table 6.22 – Transmission Upgrades by Supply-Side Resource and Location ........................................ 152
Table 6.22 – Transmission Upgrades by Supply-Side Resource and Location (Continued) .................... 153
Table 6.23 – Maximum Available Front Office Transaction Quantity by Market Hub ........................... 154
Table 7.1 Resource Costs, Existing and Associated Gas Conversion Alternatives ............................... 162
Table 7.2 – Resource Book Lives ............................................................................................................. 165
Table 7.3 CO2 Price Scenarios ............................................................................................................... 168
Table 7.4 Carbon Reduction under U.S. Hard Cap Scenarios ............................................................... 170
Table 7.5 – Energy Gateway Scenario Definitions ................................................................................... 172
Table 7.6 – Core Case Definitions ............................................................................................................ 174
Table 7.7 – Sensitivity Case Definitions ................................................................................................... 175
Table 7.8 – Underlying Henry Hub Natural Gas Price Forecast Summary (Nominal $/MMBtu) ............ 181
Table 7.9 – Short Term Load Stochastic Parameter Comparison, 2013 IRP vs. 2011 IRP ...................... 189
Table 7.10 Price Correlations ................................................................................................................ 190
Table 7.11 - Hydro Short Term Stochastic Parameter Comparison, 2011 IRP vs. 2013 IRP ................... 191
Table 8.1 Portfolio Comparison, Risk-adjusted PVRR ......................................................................... 219
Table 8.2 –Portfolio Comparison, Cumulative CO2 Emissions for 2013-2032 ........................................ 219
Table 8.3 – Portfolio Comparison, Stochastic Mean Energy Not Served ................................................. 220
Table 8.4 – Portfolio Comparison, Energy Not Served - Upper Tail........................................................ 221
Table 8.5 – Percentage Share of Generation of New Resources by Category .......................................... 223
Table 8.6 – Impact of Washington Situs Assigned Wind Generation Resources ..................................... 225
Table 8.7 – PacifiCorp’s 2013 IRP Preferred Portfolio ............................................................................ 227
Table 8.8 – Preferred Portfolio Capacity Load and Resource Balance (2013-2022) ................................ 228
Table 8.9 – Preferred Portfolio Demand Side Management Energy (2013-2022) .................................... 232
Table 8.10 – PVRR of Sensitivity Cases and the Comparative Core Cases ............................................. 235
Table 8.11 – Renewable Resources in Case S07 and Case C03 ............................................................... 238
Table 8.12 – 2013 Business Plan Resource Portfolio ............................................................................... 239
Table 8.13 – Comparison of Trigger Point Portfolios to the Preferred Portfolio...................................... 240
Table 8.13 – Cost/Risk Comparison of Compliance Portfolios and the Preferred Portfolio, with Medium
CO2 Prices ........................................................................................................................................ 241
Table 9.1 – 2013 IRP Action Plan ............................................................................................................ 245
Table 9.2 – Near-term and Long-term Resource Acquisition Paths ......................................................... 267
Table 9.3 – Portfolio Comparison, 2013 Preferred Portfolio versus 2011 IRP Update Portfolio ............. 270
Table 9.4 – Portfolio Comparison, 2013 Business Plan versus 2013 Preferred Portfolio ........................ 271
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP INDEX OF FIGURES
ix
INDEX OF FIGURES
Figure ES.1 – Load Forecast Comparison among Recent IRPs .................................................................... 1
Figure ES.2 – Power and Natural Gas Price Comparison among Recent IRPs ............................................ 2
Figure ES.3 – PacifiCorp Capacity Resource Gap........................................................................................ 6
Figure ES.4 – Economic System Dispatch of Existing Resources in Relation to Monthly Load ................. 7
Figure ES.5 – Comparison of Resource Types in Top Performing Portfolios ............................................ 10
Figure ES.6 – Addressing PacifiCorp’s Peak Capacity Deficit, 2013 through 2022 .................................. 12
Figure ES.7 Annual State and Federal RPS Position Forecasts ............................................................... 13
Figure 3.1 – Henry Hub Day-ahead Natural Gas Price History .................................................................. 29
Figure 3.2 - U.S. Dry Natural Gas Production (TCF) by Source ................................................................ 30
Figure 3.3 – Shale Plays in Lower 48 States ............................................................................................... 31
Figure 4.1 – Energy Gateway Transmission Expansion Plan ..................................................................... 74
Figure 5.1 – Contract Capacity in the 2013 Load and Resource Balance ................................................... 91
Figure 5.2 – System Capacity Position Trend ........................................................................................... 100
Figure 5.3 – West Capacity Position Trend .............................................................................................. 100
Figure 5.4 – East Capacity Position Trend ............................................................................................... 101
Figure 5.5 – System Average Monthly and Annual Energy Positions...................................................... 103
Figure 5.6 – West Average Monthly and Annual Energy Positions ......................................................... 104
Figure 5.7 – East Average Monthly and Annual Energy Positions .......................................................... 105
Figure 6.1 – World Carbon Steel Pricing by Type.................................................................................... 110
Figure 6.2 – Historic Carbon Steel Pricing ............................................................................................... 110
Figure 6.3 - Commercially Viable Geothermal Resources near PacifiCorp’s Service Territory .............. 135
Figure 7.1 – Modeling and Risk Analysis Process ................................................................................... 159
Figure 7.2 – Transmission System Model Topology ................................................................................ 166
Figure 7.3 – Carbon Dioxide Price Scenario Comparison ........................................................................ 169
Figure 7.4 – Future Energy Gateway Transmission Expansion Plan ........................................................ 172
Figure 7.5 – Modeling Framework for Commodity Price Forecasts ........................................................ 177
Figure 7.6 – Comparison of Base Henry Hub Gas Price Forecasts used for Recent IRPs ....................... 179
Figure 7.7 –Palo Verde Electricity Price Forecasts used in Recent IRPs ................................................. 179
Figure 7.8 – Mid Columbia Electricity Price Forecasts used in Recent IRPs ........................................... 180
Figure 7.9 – Underlying Henry Hub Natural Gas Price Forecast Summary (Nominal $/MMBtu) .......... 181
Figure 7.10 – Henry Hub Natural Gas Prices Derived from the High Underlying Forecast .................... 182
Figure 7.11 – Western Electricity Prices from the High Underlying Gas Price Forecast ......................... 182
Figure 7.12– Henry Hub Natural Gas Prices Derived from the Medium Underlying Forecast ................ 183
Figure 7.13 – Western Electricity Prices from the Medium Underlying Gas Price Forecast ................... 184
Figure 7.14– Henry Hub Natural Gas Prices from the Low Underlying Forecast .................................... 185
Figure 7.15 – Western Electricity Prices Derived from the Low Underlying Gas Price Forecast ............ 185
Figure 7.16 – Frequency of Western (Mid-Columbia) Electricity Market Prices for 2013 and 2022 ...... 192
Figure 7.17 – Frequency of Eastern (Palo Verde) Electricity Market Prices, 2013 and 2022 .................. 192
Figure 7.18 – Frequency of Western Natural Gas Market Prices, 2013 and 2022 .................................... 192
Figure 7.19 – Frequency of Eastern Natural Gas Market Prices, 2013 and 2022 ..................................... 193
Figure 7.20 – Frequencies for Idaho (Goshen) Loads............................................................................... 193
Figure 7.21 – Frequencies for Utah Loads ................................................................................................ 193
Figure 7.22 – Frequencies for Washington Loads .................................................................................... 194
Figure 7.23 – Frequencies for California and Oregon Loads .................................................................... 194
Figure 7.24 – Frequencies for Wyoming Loads ....................................................................................... 194
Figure 7.25 – Frequencies for System Loads ............................................................................................ 195
Figure 7.26 – Hydroelectric Generation Frequency, 2013 and 2022 ........................................................ 195
Figure 7.27 – Illustrative Pre-Screening to Remove Outliers ................................................................... 199
Figure 7.28 – Illustrative Stochastic Mean vs. Upper-tail Mean PVRR Scatter-plot ............................... 200
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP INDEX OF FIGURES
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Figure 8.1 – Total Cumulative Capacity under Energy Gateway Scenario 1, 2013 through 2032 ........... 203
Figure 8.2 – Total Cumulative Capacity under Energy Gateway Scenario 2, 2013 through 2032 ........... 203
Figure 8.3 – Total Cumulative Capacity under Energy Gateway Scenario 3, 2013 through 2032 ........... 203
Figure 8.4 – Total Cumulative Capacity under Energy Gateway Scenario 4, 2013 through 2032 ........... 204
Figure 8.5 – Total Cumulative Capacity under Energy Gateway Scenarios 5, 2013 through 2032 ......... 204
Resource Selection by Resource Type ...................................................................................................... 204
Figure 8.6 – Front Office Transaction Addition Trends by Portfolio, EG-2 ............................................ 206
Figure 8.7 – PVRR Difference in System Costs between Like Portfolios in Energy Gateway Scenario 2
and Energy Gateway Scenario 1 (System Optimizer) ...................................................................... 207
Figure 8.8– PVRR Difference in System Costs between Like Portfolios in Energy Gateway Scenario 3
and Energy Gateway Scenario 1 (System Optimizer) ...................................................................... 208
Figure 8.9 – PVRR Difference in System Costs between Like Portfolios in Energy Gateway Scenario 4
and Energy Gateway Scenario 1 ...................................................................................................... 208
Figure 8.10 – PVRR Difference in System Costs between Like Portfolios in Energy Gateway Scenario 5
and Energy Gateway Scenario 1 ...................................................................................................... 208
Summary of Portfolios among Core Case Themes ................................................................................... 208
Figure 8.11 – Annual CO2 Emissions: Reference Cases ........................................................................... 211
Figure 8.12 – Annual CO2 Emissions: Environmental Policy .................................................................. 211
Figure 8.13 – Annual CO2 Emissions: Targeted Resources ..................................................................... 212
Figure 8.14 Remove Outliers, Energy Gateway Scenario 1 with Zero CO2 Prices .............................. 213
Figure 8.15 Remove Outliers, Energy Gateway Scenario 1 with Medium CO2 Prices ......................... 213
Figure 8.16 Remove Outliers, Energy Gateway Scenario 1 with High CO2 Prices ............................... 214
Figure 8.17 Remove Outliers, Energy Gateway Scenario 2 with Zero CO2 Prices .............................. 214
Figure 8.18 Remove Outliers, Energy Gateway Scenario 2 with Medium CO2 Prices ......................... 215
Figure 8.19 Remove Outliers, Energy Gateway Scenario 2 with High CO2 Prices ............................... 215
Figure 8.20 Stochastic mean PVRR versus Upper-tail Risk with Zero CO2 Prices .............................. 217
Figure 8.21 Stochastic mean PVRR versus Upper-tail Risk with Medium CO2 Prices ........................ 217
Figure 8.22 Stochastic mean PVRR versus Upper-tail Risk with High CO2 Prices .............................. 218
Figure 8.23 Stochastic Mean Annual CO2 Emissions with Medium CO2 Prices .................................. 220
Figure 8.24 Stochastic Mean Annual ENS with Medium CO2 Prices ................................................... 221
Figure 8.25 Resource Types among Top Performing Portfolios ........................................................... 223
Figure 8.26 Stochastic Mean PVRR versus Upper-tail Risk with Zero CO2 Prices .............................. 224
Figure 8.27 Increase/(Decrease) in Annual Nominal Revenue Requirement with Wind Removed from
the EG2-C07 Portfolio ..................................................................................................................... 226
Figure 8.28 – Current and Projected PacifiCorp Resource Capacity Mix for 2013 and 2022 .................. 229
Figure 8.29 – Current and Projected PacifiCorp Resource Energy Mix for 2013 and 2022..................... 230
Figure 8.30 – Addressing PacifiCorp’s Peak Capacity Deficit, 2013 through 2022 ................................ 231
Figure 8.31 – Energy Contribution of the Preferred Portfolio Resources to Load Growth, PacifiCorp
System (2013-2022) ......................................................................................................................... 231
Figure 8.32 Annual State and Federal RPS Position Forecasts using the Preferred Portfolio ............... 233
Figure 8.33 – Carbon Dioxide Emission Trend ........................................................................................ 234
Figure 8.34– Total Cumulative Capacity of Sensitivity Cases, 2032 ....................................................... 235
Figure 8.35 – Sensitivity Case Coincidental Peak Load Forecasts ........................................................... 236
Figure 8.36 – Sensitivity Case Load Forecasts ......................................................................................... 236
Figure 8.37 – Cumulative Wind Additions, No RPS ................................................................................ 237
Figure 8.38 – Cumulative Wind Addition, with RPS ............................................................................... 237
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 1 – EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1
CHAPTER 1 – EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
PacifiCorp’s 2013 Integrated Resource Plan (2013 IRP), representing the 12th plan submitted to
state regulatory commissions, presents a framework for future actions that PacifiCorp will take to
provide reliable, reasonable-cost service with manageable risks to its customers. It was
developed with participation from numerous public stakeholders, including regulatory staff,
advocacy groups, and other interested parties.
The key elements of the 2013 IRP include (1) a finding of resource need, focusing on the 10-year
period 2013-2022, (2) the preferred portfolio of incremental supply-side and demand-side
resources to meet this need, and (3) an action plan that identifies the steps the Company will take
during the next two to four years to implement the plan. The process and outcome of the IRP—
the preferred portfolio and action plans—meet applicable state IRP standards and guidelines.
PacifiCorp continues to plan on a system-wide basis while accommodating state resource
acquisition mandates and policies.
2013 IRP Highlights
Development of the 2013 IRP involved balanced consideration of cost, risk, uncertainty, supply
reliability/deliverability, and long-run public policy goals. Key drivers to the 2013 IRP preferred
portfolio and associated action plan include the following:
As shown in Figure ES.1, the Company’s load forecast in the 2013 IRP is down in
relation to projected loads used in the 2011 IRP and 2011 IRP Update. The lower load
forecast is driven significantly by industrial self generation taking advantage of low
natural gas prices, as well as by load request cancellations in Utah and Wyoming and
postponements prompted by prolonged recessionary impacts and permitting issues. The
reduced load forecast has greatly mitigated, but not eliminated the need for resources in
the front ten years of the planning horizon, and is a significant driver in resource portfolio
modeling performed for the 2013 IRP.
Figure ES.1 – Load Forecast Comparison among Recent IRPs
60,000
62,000
64,000
66,000
68,000
70,000
72,000
74,000
76,000
78,000
80,000
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Forecasted Annual System Load
(GWh)
2013 IRP 2011 IRP Update 2011 IRP
9,000
9,500
10,000
10,500
11,000
11,500
12,000
12,500
13,000
13,500
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Forecasted Annual System Coincident Peak
(MW)
2013 IRP 2011 IRP Update 2011 IRP
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 1 – EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
2
Figure ES.2 shows that base case wholesale power prices and natural gas prices used in
the 2013 IRP are significantly lower than the base case market prices used in the 2011
IRP and 2011 IRP Update. The decline in forward natural gas prices has largely been
influenced by continued growth in prolific shale gas plays in North America. With
continued declines in natural gas prices and reduced regional loads, forward power prices
have also declined significantly over the past two years. Given these favorable market
conditions, front office transactions play a critical role in meeting coincident peak loads
throughout the front ten years of the planning horizon.
Figure ES.2 – Power and Natural Gas Price Comparison among Recent IRPs
In all portfolios evaluated in the 2013 IRP, energy efficiency resources play an important
role in meeting load growth throughout the front ten years of the planning horizon. In the
2013 IRP preferred portfolio, the accumulated acquisition of incremental energy
efficiency resources meets 67 percent of currently forecasted load growth from 2013
levels by 2022, and the 2013 IRP action plan identifies steps the Company will take in
the next two to four years to accelerate acquisition of cost-effective energy efficiency
resources.
Policy and market developments have contributed to higher renewable resource costs and
reduced benefits. On the policy front, policy makers continue to debate Federal budget
deficits, and deep philosophical differences have thus far proven to be a barrier to
budgetary compromise, making the long-term outlook for federal tax incentives that have
traditionally benefited new renewable resources highly uncertain. Policy makers have
also not succeeded in passing federal greenhouse gas legislation for consideration by the
President. While the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed new
source performance standards to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from new sources, it
has not finalized those standards, nor has it established a schedule to promulgate rules
applicable to existing sources. With higher after-tax costs, lower power prices, and
continued greenhouse gas regulation uncertainty, the need for new renewable resources
will be driven by state-specific renewable portfolio standard (RPS) regulations. To
mitigate the cost of RPS compliance, analyses in the 2013 IRP supports the use of
unbundled renewable energy credits (RECs) to meet state RPS obligations through the
first ten years of the planning period.
$-
$1
$2
$3
$4
$5
$6
$7
$8
$9
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Henry Hub Natural Gas Prices
($/MMBtu)
2013 IRP (Sep 2012)2011 IRP Update (Aug 2011)
2011 IRP (Sep 2010)
$-
$10
$20
$30
$40
$50
$60
$70
$80
$90
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Average of MidC/Palo Verde Flat Power Prices
($/MWh)
2013 IRP (Sep 2012)2011 IRP Update (Aug 2011)
2011 IRP (Sep 2010)
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 1 – EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
3
On March 15, 2013, the Utah Public Service Commission approved the Company’s
application for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) for the Sigurd
to Red Butte transmission project. The Company began construction of the Sigurd to
Red Butte transmission project in April, 2013 with a scheduled in-service date of June,
2015. For the 2013 IRP, the Company has completed preliminary analysis of the
Windstar to Populus transmission project (Energy Gateway Segment D) that supports on-
going permitting activities. Permitting activities for other Energy Gateway transmission
segments will continue in parallel with the on-going development of analytical tools that
can be used to evaluate transmission benefits that are not traditionally captured in the
resource portfolio modeling process used in the IRP.
The Company has analyzed in the 2013 IRP environmental investments required to meet
known and prospective compliance obligations across PacifiCorp’s existing coal fleet.
Supported by analyses performed as part of the 2013 IRP and analyses performed in
recent regulatory filings, the Company plans to convert Naughton Unit 3 to a natural gas-
fired facility and to install environmental investments required to meet near term
compliance obligations at the Hunter Unit 1, Jim Bridger Unit 3, and Jim Bridger Unit 4
generating units. Installation of emission control equipment at these facilities will reduce
emissions of nitrous oxides (NOX) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) and contribute to improved
visibility in the region. The Company plans to continue to evaluate environmental
investments required to meet known and prospective environmental compliance
obligations at existing coal units in future IRPs and future IRP Updates.
Modeling and Process Improvements
In developing the 2013 IRP, the Company has significantly advanced its analytical methods and
portfolio development approach. The notable improvements that are summarized below have
very much influenced the 2013 IRP and establish a sound foundation for analysis in future IRPs.
Energy Gateway Transmission
In contrast to the 2011 IRP, where analysis of Energy Gateway transmission investments
preceded resource portfolio modeling, Energy Gateway transmission investments have
been integrated into the portfolio modeling process for the 2013 IRP. This was achieved
by replicating the development of resource portfolios among five different Energy
Gateway transmission scenarios. Consequently, 94 unique core case resource portfolios
were produced in the 2013 IRP, nearly five times the number of core case portfolios
developed for the 2011 IRP.
In addition to incorporating Energy Gateway transmission investments into the resource
portfolio modeling process, the 2013 IRP introduces the System Operational and
Reliability Benefits Tool (SBT), which identifies and quantifies transmission benefits that
are not captured using production cost dispatch models traditionally used for IRP
analyses. In this way, the SBT identifies, measures, and monetizes benefits that are
incremental to those identified in the resource portfolio modeling process. Analysis
using the SBT supports investment in the Sigurd to Red Butte transmission project and
preliminary application of the SBT to the Windstar to Populus transmission project
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 1 – EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
4
supports continued permitting of Energy Gateway Segment D. The SBT will continue to
be developed and will be applied to additional Energy Gateway transmission projects for
analysis in future IRPs.
Existing Coal Resources
Building upon modeling techniques developed in the 2011 IRP and 2011 IRP Update,
environmental investments required to achieve compliance with known and prospective
regulations at existing coal resources have been integrated into the portfolio modeling
process in the 2013 IRP. Potential alternatives to environmental investments associated
with known and prospective compliance obligations tied to Regional Haze rules, Mercury
and Air Toxics Standards (MATS), regulation of coal combustion residuals (CCR), and
regulation of cooling water intakes are considered in the development of all resource
portfolios developed for the 2013 IRP. Integrating potential environmental investment
decisions into the portfolio development process allows each portfolio to reflect potential
early retirement and resource replacement and/or natural gas conversion as alternatives to
incremental environmental investment projects on a unit-by-unit basis. In addition to
integrating coal unit environmental investment decisions into the portfolio development
process, the Company has completed detailed financial analysis of near-term investment
decisions in Confidential Volume III of the 2013 IRP.
Energy Efficiency
PacifiCorp continues to evaluate energy efficiency as a resource that competes with
traditional supply-side resource alternatives when developing resource portfolios that are
compared under a range of cost and risk metrics. The 2013 IRP includes for the first time
core case resource portfolios developed assuming accelerated acquisition of energy
efficiency resources. While the assumptions developed for these cases require further
validation and review, cost and risk analysis of these portfolios have led to action items in
the 2013 IRP action plan to accelerate acquisition of cost-effective energy efficiency
resources.
In addition to evaluating acceleration of energy efficiency resources in the 2013 IRP, the
Company greatly expanded its representation of energy efficiency resource attributes that
influence selection in any given portfolio. Energy efficiency resources were modeled
with additional cost granularity by increasing the number of cost steps that delineate
groupings of different energy efficiency measures. In the 2011 IRP, energy efficiency
resources for a given state were grouped into nine different cost levels, whereas the 2013
IRP modeling was performed using 27 different cost levels to represent energy efficiency
resource opportunities in each state. Implementation of this modeling refinement
deteriorated model performance, and the Company has developed an action item to study
trade-offs between resource selections and model run-times at different levels of
granularity.
Renewable Portfolio Standards
The 2013 IRP includes portfolios with and without renewable portfolio standard (RPS)
requirements to isolate how system costs and portfolio risks are affected when new
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 1 – EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
5
renewable resources are added to a portfolio for the sole purpose of meeting state-specific
RPS compliance targets. In those cases where RPS compliance targets are assumed and
incremental renewable resources are needed for the sole purpose of achieving RPS
targets, the RPS Scenario Maker model was introduced into the 2013 IRP. The RPS
Scenario Maker model was used to establish a minimum level of new renewable
resources needed to meet RPS compliance targets while considering compliance
flexibility mechanisms such as “banking” unique to each state RPS program.
Public Process
The involvement of stakeholders is a critical element of the IRP process. Over the course
of developing the 2013 IRP, the Company expanded its open and collaborative approach
to resource planning by increasing opportunities for stakeholder participation. The
Company hosted 15 public input meetings, more than twice the number of public input
meetings held for the 2011 IRP, supplemented communications with stakeholder
conference calls, and held five state meetings. In addition, the Company made available
to stakeholders a website used to provide data and to communicate Company responses
to stakeholder questions received throughout the public process.
Resource Need
PacifiCorp’s need for new resources is determined by developing a capacity load and resource
balance that considers the coincident system peak load hour capacity contribution of existing
resources, forecasted loads and sales, and reserve requirements. For capacity expansion planning,
the Company uses a 13 percent planning reserve margin, which is applied to PacifiCorp’s
obligation net of offsetting “load resources” such as dispatchable load control capacity.1
Table ES.1 shows the Company’s annual capacity position for 2013 through 2022, and Figure
ES.3 graphically highlights the capacity resource gap in relation to currently owned and
contracted east and west-side resources. Without new resources, the system experiences a
capacity deficit of 824 megawatts in 2013, down by 57 percent as compared to the 2011 IRP and
down by 39 percent as compared to the 2011 IRP Update. By 2022, the system capacity deficit
reaches 2,308 megawatts. Over the 2013 to 2022 timeframe, the system peak load is forecasted
to grow at a compounded annual rate of 1.2 percent (prior to forecasted load reductions from
energy efficiency). On an energy basis, PacifiCorp expects system-wide average load growth of
1.1 percent per year.
Table ES.1 – PacifiCorp 10-year Capacity Position Forecast (Megawatts)
1The 13 percent planning reserve margin is supported by a stochastic loss of load probability study that is
summarized in Volume II, Appendix I of the 2013 IRP.
System 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Total Resources 10,010 10,065 9,996 9,602 9,556 9,553 9,487 9,488 9,864 9,803
Obligation 9,588 9,780 9,933 9,797 9,950 10,125 10,254 10,409 10,571 10,718
Reserves (Based on 13% Target)1,246 1,271 1,291 1,274 1,294 1,316 1,333 1,353 1,374 1,393
Obligation + 13% Planning Reserves 10,834 11,051 11,224 11,071 11,244 11,441 11,587 11,762 11,945 12,111
System Position (824)(986)(1,228)(1,469)(1,688)(1,888)(2,100)(2,274)(2,081)(2,308)
Reserve Margin 4.4%2.9%0.6%(2.0%)(4.0%)(5.6%)(7.5%)(8.8%)(6.7%)(8.5%)
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 1 – EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
6
Figure ES.3 – PacifiCorp Capacity Resource Gap
The capacity position shows how existing resources and loads balance during the coincident
peak load hour of the year inclusive of a planning reserve margin. Outside of the peak hour, the
Company economically dispatches its resources to meet changing load conditions taking into
consideration prevailing market conditions. In those periods when system resource costs are less
than the prevailing market price for power, the Company can dispatch resources that in aggregate
exceed then-current load obligations, facilitating off system sales that reduce customer costs.
Conversely, at times when system resource costs fall below prevailing market prices, system
balancing market purchases can be used to meet then-current system load obligations to reduce
customer costs. The economic dispatch of system resources is critical to how the Company
manages net power costs.
Figure ES.4 provides a snapshot of how existing system resources could be used to meet
forecasted load across on-peak and off-peak periods given current planning assumptions and
current wholesale power and natural gas prices.2 The figure shows expected monthly energy
production from system resources during on-peak and off-peak periods in relation to load
assuming no additional resources are added to PacifiCorp’s system. At times, system resources
are economically dispatched above load levels facilitating net system balancing sales. This
occurs more often in off-peak periods than in on-peak periods. At other times, economic
conditions result in net system balancing purchases, which occur more often during on-peak
2 On-peak hours are defined as hour ending 7 AM through 10 PM, Monday through Saturday, excluding NERC-
observed holidays. All other hours define off-peak periods.
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Me
g
a
w
a
t
t
s
Obligation + 13%Planning Reserves
Obligation
East Existing Resources
2022 Resource Gap
2,308 MW2013Resource Gap
824 MW
West Existing Resources
13% Reserves
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 1 – EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
7
periods. Figure ES.4 also shows how much system energy is available from existing resources at
any given point in time. Those periods where all available resource energy falls below
forecasted loads are highlighted in red, and are indicative of short energy positions absent the
addition of incremental resources to the portfolio. During on-peak periods, the first energy
shortfall appears in July 2018, and by 2022 available system energy falls short of monthly loads
in January, July, August, and October. During off-peak periods, there are no energy shortfalls
through the 2022 timeframe.
Figure ES.4 – Economic System Dispatch of Existing Resources in Relation to Monthly Load
Future Resource Options and Portfolio Modeling
In line with state IRP standards and guidelines, PacifiCorp included a wide variety of resource
options in portfolio modeling covering generation, demand-side management and transmission.
Cost and performance assumptions for resource alternatives were developed using multiple
sources, including: third party estimates, data from actual and projected PacifiCorp or utility
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
3,500
4,000
4,500
5,000
Ja
n
-
1
3
Ap
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1
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1
9
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1
9
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1
9
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1
9
Ja
n
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2
0
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r
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2
0
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2
2
Ap
r
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2
2
Ju
l
-
2
2
Oc
t
-
2
2
GW
h
On-Peak Energy Balance
System Energy at or Below Load Net Balancing Sale Net Balancing Purchase
Energy Shortfall System Energy Available Load
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
3,500
4,000
4,500
5,000
Ja
n
-
1
3
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h
Off-Peak Energy Balance
System Energy at or Below Load Net Balancing Sale Net Balancing Purchase
Energy Shortfall System Energy Available Load
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 1 – EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
8
industry installations, and data from recent request for proposals and requests for information.
Table ES.2 summarizes the wide range of resource alternatives evaluated in the 2013 IRP.
Table ES.2 – 2013 IRP Resource Options*
Natural Gas Other
Thermal Renewable Energy
Storage
Distributed
Generation
Class 1
DSM
(Direct
Load
Control)
Class 2
DSM
(Energy
Efficiency)
Class 3
DSM
(Demand
Response)
SCCT Aero
Intercooled
SCCT Aero
SCCT Frame
IC Recip.
Engine
CCCT (2x1)
F-class
CCCT (2x1)
G/H-class
CCCT (1x1)
G/H-class
CCCT (1x1)
J-class
CCCTs with
and without
duct firing
IGCC with
carbon
capture and
sequestration
Nuclear
fission
Geothermal
(PPAs)
Wind
Solar PV
(fixed tilt &
tracking)
Biomass
Pumped
Storage
Sodium-
Sulfur
Battery
Advanced
Fly Wheel
Compressed Air Energy
Storage
Reciprocating
Engines
Gas Turbine
Microturbine
Fuel Cell
Commercial
Biomass,
Anaerobic
Digester
Industrial
Biomass,
Waste
Rooftop
Solar PV
Solar Water
Heaters
Residential
Central Air &
Water
Heating
Small
Commercial
Central Air &
Water
Heating
Irrigation
Load
Curtailment
Commercial
Curtailment
Industrial
Curtailment
Residential,
Commercial,
Industrial,
Irrigation,
and Street
Lighting
Measures
27 measure
bundles
grouped by
cost among
five states
Energy Trust
of Oregon
Energy
Efficiency
Measures as
Applicable
for Oregon
Residential
time-of-use
rates
Commercial
Critical Peak
Pricing
Commercial
and Industrial
Demand
Buyback
Voluntary
Irrigation
Time-of-Use
*SCCT = simple cycle combustion turbine; CCCT = combined cycle combustion turbine; IGCC = integrated
gasification combined cycle, PPA = power purchase agreement; PV = photo voltaic, DSM = demand side
management
PacifiCorp’s IRP modeling approach seeks to determine the comparative cost, risk, and
reliability attributes of resource portfolios, and consists of eight phases:
Define input scenarios for portfolio development
Price forecast development (natural gas and wholesale electricity by market hub)
Optimize portfolio development using PacifiCorp’s System Optimizer capacity expansion
model for cases without RPS requirements
Develop a renewable resource floor, reflecting renewable resource additions chosen in
optimized portfolios from cases that exclude RPS requirements needed to achieve
compliance for cases that do include RPS assumptions
Optimize portfolio development using PacifiCorp’s System Optimizer capacity expansion
model for cases with RPS requirements
Stochastic Monte Carlo production cost simulation of optimized portfolios
Selection of top-performing portfolios using a three-phase screening process that
incorporates stochastic portfolio cost and risk assessment measures
Preliminary preferred portfolio selection, followed by additional analysis and
determination of the final preferred portfolio
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 1 – EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
9
PacifiCorp worked with stakeholders to define 19 input scenarios, or “core cases”, which were
applied across five different Energy Gateway transmission scenarios totaling 94 different
variations of resource portfolios.3 The 19 different core cases were categorized into four
different themes:
(1) Reference: There are three different core cases developed for the Reference Theme.
Each case relied upon base case assumptions for market prices, environmental policy
inputs, energy efficiency assumptions, and load projections. RPS assumptions
differentiate the three cases in the Reference Theme, with one case assuming no state
or federal RPS requirements, one case assuming only state RPS requirements, and
one case assuming both state and federal RPS requirements must be met.
(2) Environmental Policy: There are 11 different core cases developed for the
Environmental Policy Theme. Five of the 11 cases reflect base case assumptions for
Regional Haze requirements on existing coal units, and six of the 11 cases assume
more stringent Regional Haze requirements. Differentiating the sets of cases with
different Regional Haze compliance requirements are varying assumptions for market
prices (low, medium, and high), CO2 prices (zero, medium, and high), RPS
requirements (with and without state and federal RPS), and energy efficiency.
(3) Targeted Resources: There are four different core cases developed for the Targeted
Resource Theme. Each of the cases is characterized by alternative assumptions for
specific resource types to understand how these assumptions influence resource
portfolios, costs, and risk. One of the four cases prevents combined cycle resources
from being added to the resource portfolio and assumes energy efficiency resources
can be acquired at an accelerated rate. The second of the four cases in this theme
assumes that geothermal power purchase agreement resources will be used to meet
RPS requirements. The third of four cases in this theme assumes a spike in power
prices over the period 2017 through 2022 and assumes natural gas prices will rise
above base case levels over the entirety of the planning horizon. The fourth case in
this theme targets clean energy resources and assumes CO2 prices rise consistent with
a federal hard cap scenario, that natural gas prices rise above those assumed in the
base case, that federal tax incentives for renewable resources are extended through
2019, and that energy efficiency resources can be acquired at an accelerated rate.
(4) Transmission: The Transmission Theme included one core case, which assumes that
third party transmission can be purchased from a newly built line as an alternative to
the Company’s Gateway Segment D project. This case was only analyzed in four of
the five Energy Gateway scenarios that include the Gateway Segment D project.
PacifiCorp selected top-performing portfolios on the basis of system costs using Monte Carlo
simulations of each portfolio over a twenty year planning horizon. The Monte Carlo runs capture
stochastic behavior of electricity prices, natural gas prices, loads, thermal unit availability, and
hydro availability. The relative average cost among portfolios and the upper tail cost among
portfolios are used to evaluate cost and risk metrics among candidate portfolios and are used to
identify top performing resource portfolios that inform the Company’s selection of the preferred
3 One of the input scenarios is applicable to four out of the five Energy Gateway transmission scenarios.
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 1 – EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
10
portfolio. In making its preferred portfolio selection, the Company considers measures of risk-
adjusted portfolio costs, customer rate impacts, CO2 emissions, and supply reliability.
In the 2013 IRP, some portfolios developed under the assumption that acquisition of demand
side management (DSM) resources can be accelerated performed well on a risk adjusted cost
basis. However, given uncertainties in incentive and administrative costs and delivery risks
associated with accelerating acquisition of DSM resources, these portfolios were not selected as
the preferred portfolio. Nonetheless, the potential benefits of accelerating acquisition of DSM
resources has prompted the Company to develop action items in 2013 IRP Action Plan targeting
accelerated acquisition of cost effective DSM resources.
Figure ES.5 summarizes the nameplate capacity of cumulative resource selections through 2022
among top performing portfolios developed under base case DSM acquisition ramp rate
assumptions. With reduced load expectations and market prices, resource selections among the
top performing portfolios over the first 10 years of the planning horizon are dominated by energy
efficiency and front office transaction (FOT) resources, and there are no new CCCT resources
required over this timeframe. Among these cases, renewable resources are added in different
quantities and at different times for the sole purpose of meeting west side state RPS
requirements. The variability in quantity, type, and timing of new renewable resources is
dependent on whether the Windstar to Populus transmission project is built.
Figure ES.5 – Comparison of Resource Types in Top Performing Portfolios
In the final screening stage of the 2013 IRP portfolio analysis, the Company evaluated an
alternative strategy to meet Washington RPS requirements with unbundled RECs. This analysis
shows that a compliance strategy focused on acquiring unbundled RECs is favorable on a cost
and risk basis, and supports 2013 IRP action items to issue competitive market solicitations for
unbundled REC products over the next two to four years.
-500
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
3,500
EG
1
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7
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2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Cu
m
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a
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a
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t
y
(
M
W
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DSM FOTs CCCT Peaking Gas Renewable Retirement Other
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 1 – EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
11
The 2013 IRP Preferred Portfolio
Table ES.3 lists the resource types and annual nameplate megawatt capacity additions over the
period 2013 through 2032. Figure ES.4 shows how the preferred portfolio, along with existing
resources, meets capacity requirements at the time of system peak through 2022. The drop in
obligation and reserves in 2016 and 2021 coincides with termination of two exchange contracts.
With reduced loads and favorable market conditions, incremental resource needs in the front 10
years of the planning horizon are met largely with cost-effective energy efficiency acquisitions
and firm market purchases.
As informed by portfolio modeling completed for the 2013 IRP, the Company’s action plan
focuses on accelerating acquisition of cost effective DSM measures, to take advantage of the risk
mitigation benefits of DSM resources by reducing the need for new firm market purchases in the
near-term. With policy and market drivers contributing to unfavorable economics for new
renewable resources, renewable resource additions in the 2013 IRP preferred portfolio reflect a
near-term unbundled REC compliance strategy. Near-term renewable resources include small
scale utility solar resources needed to meet Oregon requirements and distributed solar resources
associated with the Utah Solar Incentive Program. Over the long-term, the 2013 IRP preferred
portfolio includes additional wind resources, totaling 650 megawatts in the 2024 to 2025
timeframe, which contribute to meeting long-term state and assumed RPS obligations.
Table ES.3 – 2013 IRP Preferred Portfolio
Summary Portfolio Capacity by Resource Type and Year, Installed MW
Installed Capacity, MW
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 Total
Gas - CCCT - 645 - - - - - - - - - 423 - - - 661 - 1,084 - - 2,813
Gas- Peaking - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 181 - - - 181 362
DSM - Energy Efficiency 115 117 103 101 97 92 90 81 80 82 68 70 67 67 69 66 63 54 57 56 1,593
DSM - Load Control - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 85 19 88 - - - 193
Renewable - Wind - - - - - - - - - - - 432 218 - - - - - - - 650
Renewable - Utility Solar 4 3 3 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 10
Renewable - Distributed Solar 7 11 14 16 18 14 14 14 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 293
Combined Heat & Power 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 21
Front Office Transactions 650 709 845 983 1,102 1,209 1,323 1,420 1,191 1,333 1,427 1,112 1,304 1,425 1,469 1,464 1,472 1,231 1,281 1,246 n/a
Coal Early Retirement/Conversions - - (502) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (502)
Thermal Plant End-of-life Retirements - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (760) - (701) (74) - (1,535)
Coal Plant Gas Conversion Additions - - 338 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 338
Turbine Upgrades 14 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 14
Total 791 1,486 802 1,102 1,218 1,315 1,427 1,515 1,287 1,431 1,511 2,054 1,606 1,509 1,640 1,648 1,639 1,685 1,281 1,500
Resource
Expansion Options
Existing Unit Changes
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 1 – EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
12
Figure ES.6 – Addressing PacifiCorp’s Peak Capacity Deficit, 2013 through 2022
Figure ES.7 shows PacifiCorp’s forecasted RPS compliance position for the California, Oregon,
and Washington4 programs, along with a federal RPS program scenario5, covering the period
2013 through 2022 based on the preferred portfolio. Utah’s RPS goal is tied to a 2025
compliance date, so the 2013 to 2022 position is not shown below. However, PacifiCorp meets
the Utah 2025 state target of 20 percent based on eligible Utah RPS resources, and has
significant levels of banked RECs to sustain continued future compliance. PacifiCorp anticipates
utilizing flexible compliance mechanisms such as banking and/or tradable RECs where allowed,
to meet RPS requirements.
4 The Washington RPS requirement is tied to January 1st of the compliance year. 5 The assumed federal RPS requirements are applied to retail sales, with a target of 4.5 percent beginning in 2018,
7.1 percent in 2019-2020, 9.8 percent in 2021-2022, 12.4 percent in 2023-2024, and 20 percent in 2025
8,000
9,000
10,000
11,000
12,000
13,000
14,000
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Me
g
a
w
a
t
t
s
New Firm Market Purchases New - DSM + CHP + Wind + Solar **
Existing - Long Term Contracts and PPA's 2014 Lake Side 2 CCCT (under construction)
Existing - Physical Assests and DSM ***Obligation + Reserves *
Existing -Physical Assets and DSM ***
Existing -Long Term Contracts and PPA's
New -DSM,CHP,and Solar **
New Firm Market Purchase
Obligation + Reserves *
* Includes 13% Planning Reserves, Sales and Non-Owned Reserves
** Solar resources peak contribution is 8 MW by 2022 and Combined Heat and Power (CHP) contributes 12 MW.
*** Includes retirements, turbine upgrades, and gas repower. DSM includes both Class 1 and 2.
2014 Lake Side 2 CCCT (under construction)
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 1 – EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
13
Figure ES.7 Annual State and Federal RPS Position Forecasts
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
GW
h
Oregon RPS Compliance Outcome
Unbundled REC Surrendered Bundled Bank Surrendered
Current Year Generation Surrendered Year-end Bundled Bank Balance
Year-end Unbundled REC Bank Balance Annual Requirement
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
GW
h
Washington RPS Compliance Outcome
Unbundled REC Surrendered Bundled Bank Surrendered
Current Year Generation Surrendered Year-end Bundled Bank Balance
Year-end Unbundled REC Bank Balance Annual Requirement
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
GW
h
California RPS Compliance Outcome
Unbundled REC Surrendered Bundled Bank Surrendered
Current Year Generation Surrendered Year-end Bundled Bank Balance
Year-end Unbundled REC Bank Balance Annual Requirement
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
GW
h
Federal RPS Compliance Outcome
Unbundled REC Surrendered Bundled Bank Surrendered
Current Year Generation Surrendered Year-end Bundled Bank Balance
Year-end Unbundled REC Bank Balance Annual Requirement
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 1 – EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
14
The 2013 IRP Action Plan
The 2013 IRP Action Plan identifies specific actions the Company will take over the next two to four years. Action items are based on
the type and timing of resources in the preferred portfolio, findings from analysis completed over the course of portfolio modeling, and
feedback received by stakeholders in the 2013 IRP process. Table ES.4 details specific 2013 IRP action items by category.
Table ES.4 – 2013 IRP Action Plan
Update the wind integration study for the 2015 IRP. The updated wind integration study will consider the
implications of an energy imbalance market along with comments and feedback from the technical review committee
and IRP stakeholders provided during the 2012 Wind Integration Study.
With renewable portfolio standard (RPS) compliance achieved with unbundled renewable energy credit (REC)
purchases, the preferred portfolio does not include incremental renewable resources prior to 2024. Given that the
REC market lacks liquidity and depth beyond one year forward, the Company will pursue unbundled REC requests
for proposal (RFP) to meet its state RPS compliance requirements.
– Issue at least annually, RFPs seeking then current-year or forward-year vintage unbundled RECs that will
qualify in meeting Washington renewable portfolio standard obligations.
– Issue at least annually, RFPs seeking historical, then current-year, or forward-year vintage unbundled RECs
that will qualify for Oregon renewable portfolio standard obligations. As part of the solicitation and bid
evaluation process, evaluate the tradeoffs between acquiring bankable RECs early as a means to mitigate
potentially higher cost long-term compliance alternatives.
– Issue at least annually, RFPs seeking then current-year or forward-year vintage unbundled RECs that will
qualify for California renewable portfolio standard obligations.
On a quarterly basis, issue reverse RFPs to sell RECs not required to meet state RPS compliance obligations.
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 1 – EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
15
1d.
Solar
1e.
Capacity Contribution
Action
Item 2. Distributed Generation Actions
2a.
Distributed Solar
2b.
Combined Heat & Power (CHP)
opportunities that will: (1) assess the existing, proposed, and potential generation sites on PacifiCorp’s system; (2)
Action
Item 3. Firm Market Purchase Actions
3a.
Front Office Transactions
–
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 1 – EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
16
–
Action
Item 4. Flexible Resource Actions
4a.
Energy Imbalance Market (EIM)
Action
Item 5. Hedging Actions
5a.
Natural Gas Request for Proposal
Convene a workshop for stakeholders by October 2013 to discuss potential changes to the Company’s process in
Action
Item 6. Plant Efficiency Improvement Actions
6a.
Plant Efficiency Improvements
–
– state “total resource cost test” evaluation
–
Company’s recommended approach to analyzing cost effective production efficiency resources in the 2015 IRP.
Action
Item 7. Demand Side Management (DSM) Actions
7a.
Class 2 DSM
––
–
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 1 – EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
17
–
st rd
th st
th nd
–
–
– Increase acquisitions from business customers through prescriptive measures by expanding the “Trad
Network”.
rd th
– st
– Increase the reach and effectiveness of “express” or “typical” measure offerings by increasing qualifying
st rd
th st
th nd
–
nd th
rd rd
–
Expand offering of “bundled” measure incentives by the end of 2013.
st
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 1 – EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
18
nd st
rd
nd
–
–rd
–
–
–
7b.
Class 3 DSM
Action
Item 8. Coal Resource Actions
8a.
Naughton Unit 3
8b.
Hunter Unit 1
X
8c.
Jim Bridger Units 3 and 4
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 1 – EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
19
8d.
Cholla Unit 4
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Federal Implementation Plan requirements to install SCR equipment at
Action
Item 9. Transmission Actions
9a.
System Operational and Reliability Benefits Tool (SBT)
–
–
9b.
Energy Gateway Permitting
–
–
–
–
9c. Sigurd to Red Butte 345 kilovolt Transmission Line
Action
Item 10. Planning Reserve Margin Actions
10a.
Planning Reserve Margin
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 1 – EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
20
Action
Item 11. Planning and Modeling Process Improvement Actions
11a.
Modeling and Process
11b.
Cost/Benefit Analysis of DSM Resource Alternatives
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 2 - INTRODUCTION
21
CHAPTER 2 – INTRODUCTION
PacifiCorp files an Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) on a biennial basis with the state utility
commissions of Utah, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, Idaho, and California. This IRP, the 12th
plan submitted, fulfills the Company’s commitment to develop a long-term resource plan that
considers cost, risk, uncertainty, and the long-run public interest. It was developed through a
collaborative public process with involvement from regulatory staff, advocacy groups, and other
interested parties. As the owner of the IRP and its action plan, all policy judgments and decisions
concerning the IRP are ultimately made by PacifiCorp in light of its obligations to its customers,
regulators, and shareholders.
This IRP also builds on PacifiCorp’s prior resource planning efforts and reflects continued
advancements in portfolio modeling and analytical methods. These advancements include:
Implementation of the Enterprise Production Model (EPM) interface, combining the
functionality of System Optimizer and Planning and Risk components into a single
model;
Integration of Energy Gateway transmission investments into the portfolio modeling
process;
Introduction of the System Operational and Reliability Benefits Tool (SBT) to
complement IRP modeling for a more complete picture of transmission costs and benefits
of each IRP scenario;
Enhancements to new resource modeling in System Optimizer resulting in improvement
to resource selection, including modeling of environmental investments required to
achieve compliance with known and prospection environmental regulations at existing
coal resources, and increased granularity in the definition of bundle price breakpoints for
energy efficiency measures;
Addition of core case resource portfolios that assume accelerated acquisition of energy
efficiency resources; and
Use of the Renewable Portfolio Standard Scenario Maker, a new Excel spreadsheet tool
for developing RPS-compliant renewable resource schedules.
Significant studies conducted to support the IRP include:
An update of the 2010 demand-side management (DSM) and dispersed generation
potentials study;
An update of the 2011 loss of load study for determining an adequate capacity planning
reserve margin for load and resource balance development;
A state-of-the-art wind integration study;
Market reliance scenario analysis; and
Evaluation of price hedging strategies.
Finally, this IRP reflects continued alignment efforts with the Company’s annual ten-year
business planning process. The purpose of the alignment, initiated in 2008, is to:
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 2 - INTRODUCTION
22
Provide corporate benefits in the form of consistent planning assumptions;
Ensure that business planning is informed by the IRP portfolio analysis, and, likewise,
that the IRP accounts for near-term resource affordability concerns that are the province
of capital budgeting; and
Improve the overall transparency of PacifiCorp’s resource planning processes to public
stakeholders.
The planning alignment strategy also follows the 2008 adoption of the IRP portfolio modeling
and analysis approach for requests for proposals (RFP) bid evaluation. This latter initiative was
part of PacifiCorp’s effort to unify planning and procurement under the same analytical
framework. The Company used this analytical framework for bid evaluation in support of the all-
source RFP reactivated in December 2009.
This chapter outlines the components of the 2013 IRP, summarizes the role of the IRP, and
provides an overview of the public process.
2013 Integrated Resource Plan Components
The basic components of PacifiCorp’s 2013 IRP, and where they are addressed in this report, are
outlined below.
The set of IRP principles and objectives that the Company adopted for this IRP effort
(this chapter).
An assessment of the planning environment, market trends and fundamentals, legislative
and regulatory developments, and current procurement activities (Chapter 3).
A description of PacifiCorp’s transmission planning efforts and description of IRP
modeling studies conducted to support Energy Gateway transmission financial evaluation
(Chapter 4).
A resource needs assessment covering the Company’s load forecast, status of existing
resources, and determination of the load and energy positions for the 10-year resource
acquisition period (Chapter 5).
A profile of the resource options considered for addressing future capacity and energy
deficits (Chapter 6).
A description of the IRP modeling, risk analysis, and portfolio performance assessment
processes (Chapter 7).
Presentation of IRP modeling results, and selection of top-performing resource portfolios
and PacifiCorp’s preferred portfolio (Chapter 8).
An IRP action plan linking the Company’s preferred portfolio with specific
implementation actions, including an accompanying resource acquisition path analysis
and discussion of resource risks (Chapter 9).
The IRP appendices, included as a separate volume, comprised of a detailed load forecast report
(Appendix A), fulfillment of IRP regulatory compliance requirements, (Appendix B), the public
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 2 - INTRODUCTION
23
input process (Appendix C), energy efficiency modeling (Appendix D), conservation voltage
reduction and voltage optimization projects update (Appendix E), flexible resource needs
assessment (Appendix F), historical plant water consumption data (Appendix G), 2012 wind
integration cost study (Appendix H), 2012 stochastic loss of load study (Appendix I), an
assessment of resource adequacy for western power markets, including a market reliance “stress”
scenario analysis (Appendix J), detailed capacity expansion tables (Appendix K), stochastic
simulation results (Appendix L), case study fact sheets (Appendix M), DSM decrement studies
(Appendix N), and wind, and solar peak contributions (Appendix O).
The Role of PacifiCorp’s Integrated Resource Planning
PacifiCorp’s IRP mandate is to assure, on a long-term basis, an adequate and reliable electricity
supply at a reasonable cost and in a manner “consistent with the long-run public interest.”6 The
main role of the IRP is to serve as a roadmap for determining and implementing the Company’s
long-term resource strategy according to this IRP mandate. In doing so, it accounts for state
commission IRP requirements, the current view of the planning environment, corporate business
goals, risk, and uncertainty. As a business planning tool, it supports informed decision-making
on resource procurement by providing an analytical framework for assessing resource investment
tradeoffs, including supporting RFP bid evaluation efforts. As an external communications tool,
the IRP engages numerous stakeholders in the planning process and guides them through the key
decision points leading to PacifiCorp’s preferred portfolio of generation, demand-side, and
transmission resources.
While PacifiCorp continues to plan on a system-wide basis, the Company recognizes that new
state resource acquisition mandates and policies add complexity to the planning process and
present challenges to conducting resource planning on this basis.
Public Process
The IRP standards and guidelines for certain states require PacifiCorp to have a public process
allowing stakeholder involvement in all phases of plan development. The Company held 26
public meetings/conference calls during 2012 and early 2013 designed to facilitate information
sharing, collaboration, and expectations setting for the IRP. The topics covered all facets of the
IRP process, ranging from specific input assumptions to the portfolio modeling and risk analysis
strategies employed. Table 2.1 lists the public meetings/conferences and major agenda items
covered.
6 The Public Utility Commission of Oregon and Public Service Commission of Utah cite “long run public interest”
as part of their definition of integrated resource planning. Public interest pertains to adequately quantifying and
capturing for resource evaluation any resource costs external to the utility and its ratepayers. For example, the Public
Service Commission of Utah cites the risk of future internalization of environmental costs as a public interest issue
that should be factored into the resource portfolio decision-making process.
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 2 - INTRODUCTION
24
Table 2.1 – 2013 IRP Public Meetings
Meeting Type Date Main Agenda Items
General Meeting 5/7/2012 2013 IRP kickoff meeting
General Meeting 6/20/2012 Demand-side management; portfolio development; wind integration
State Meeting 7/11/2012 Idaho state stakeholder comments
State Meeting 7/12/2012 Wyoming state stakeholder comments
General Meeting 7/13/2012 Portfolio case development; transmission scenarios and benefit analysis
State Meeting 7/19/2012 Oregon state stakeholder comments
State Meeting 7/20/2012 Washington state stakeholder comments
General Meeting 8/2/2012 Conservation voltage reduction; resource adequacy workshop; portfolio
case development
General Meeting 8/13/2012 Supply-side resources; renewable portfolio standards; wind integration
study
State Meeting 8/14/2012 Utah state stakeholder comments
General Conference Call 8/24/2012 Distributed generation resource assumptions
General Meeting 9/14/2012 Environmental compliance; load forecast; capacity load and resource
balance; portfolio case development
General Conference Call 9/24/2012 Planning reserve margins; price curve scenarios and modeling
methodology
General Conference Call 10/3/2012 Solar photovoltaic resources
General Meeting 10/24/2012 Utility-scale resource options; wind integration study; planning reserve
margin
General Meeting 11/5/2012 Transmission benefit evaluation; stochastic modeling; preferred portfolio
selection
General Meeting 11/27/2012 Planning reserve margin; methodology update overview
General Conference Call 12/6/2012 US Environmental Protection Agency and impacts on IRP modeling
General Conference Call 12/14/2012 Smart Grid
General Conference Call 12/18/2012 IRP filing schedule; core case fact sheet and price curve scenario updates
General Meeting 1/31/2013 Core case portfolio results; wind integration study
General Meeting 2/27/2013 Transmission system benefits tool; IRP modeling results update; class 2
DSM supply curves
General Meeting 3/21/2013 Modeling update; draft preferred portfolio
General Meeting 4/5/2013 Draft preferred portfolio; draft action plan
General Meeting
(Confidential) 4/17/2013 2013 IRP Confidential Volume 3
General Meeting 4/17/2013 Draft IRP document; sensitivity analysis results
Appendix C provides more details concerning the public meeting process and individual
meetings.
In addition to the public meetings, PacifiCorp used other channels to facilitate resource planning-
related information sharing and consultation throughout the IRP process. The Company
maintains a public website (http://www.pacificorp.com/es/irp.html), an e-mail “mailbox”
(irp@pacificorp.com), and a dedicated IRP phone line (503-813-5245) to support stakeholder
communications and address inquiries by public participants. In response to stakeholder
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 2 - INTRODUCTION
25
requests, PacifiCorp has also introduced an additional IRP comments website intended for
PacifiCorp’s IRP public participants only (http://www.pacificorp.com/es/irp/irpcomments.html)
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 2 - INTRODUCTION
26
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 3 – PLANNING ENVIRONMENT
27
CHAPTER 3 – THE PLANNING ENVIRONMENT
Introduction
This chapter profiles the major external influences that impact PacifiCorp’s long-term resource
planning as well as recent procurement activities. External influences include events and trends
affecting the economy, wholesale power and natural gas prices, and public policy and regulatory
initiatives that influence the environment in which PacifiCorp operates.
Sluggish economic growth continues to influence load growth expectations throughout the 2013
IRP planning cycle. In light of current economic conditions, the Company continues to evaluate
capital projects for least cost adjusted for risk resources based on known and measurable
compliance requirements.
Concerning the power industry marketplace, the major issues addressed include capacity
resource adequacy and associated standards for the Western Electricity Coordinating Council
(WECC). As discussed elsewhere in the IRP, future natural gas prices and the role of gas-fired
generation and market purchases are some of the critical factors impacting the determination of
the preferred portfolio that best balances low-cost and low-risk planning objectives.
On the government policy and regulatory front, a significant issue facing PacifiCorp continues to
be planning for an eventual, but highly uncertain, climate change regulatory regime. This chapter
focuses on climate change regulatory initiatives, particularly at the state level. A high-level
summary of the Company’s greenhouse gas emissions mitigation strategy, as well as an
overview of the Electric Power Research Institute’s study on carbon dioxide price impacts on
CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS
Significantly lower wholesale power prices and natural gas prices in the 2013 IRP
than market prices in the 2011 IRP, caused mainly by a decline in forward natural
gas prices as a result of the continued growth in prolific shale gas plays in North
America and reduced regional loads. Loss of momentum in federal efforts to
develop comprehensive federal energy and climate change compliance requirements,
leading to continued uncertainty regarding the long-term investment climate for
clean energy technologies.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has promulgated new source
performance standards to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from new sources, it
has not established a schedule to promulgate rules applicable to existing sources.
Nevertheless, public and legislative support for clean energy policies at the state
level remains robust.
Aggressive efforts by the EPA to regulate electric utility plant emissions, including
greenhouse gases, criteria pollutants and other emissions.
Near-term procurement activities related to natural gas supply and transportation and
Oregon solar resources.
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 3 – PLANNING ENVIRONMENT
28
western power markets, follows. This chapter also reviews the significant policy developments
for currently-regulated pollutants
Other topics covered in this chapter include regulatory updates on the Environmental Protection
Agency, regional and state climate change regulation, the status of renewable portfolio standards,
and resource procurement activities.
Wholesale Electricity Markets
PacifiCorp’s system does not operate in an isolated market. Operations and costs are tied to a
larger electric system known as the Western Interconnection which functions, on a day-to-day
basis, as a geographically dispersed marketplace. Each month, millions of megawatt-hours of
energy are traded in the wholesale electricity market. These transactions yield economic
efficiency by assuring that resources with the lowest operating cost are serving demand in a
region and by providing reliability benefits that arise from a larger portfolio of resources.
PacifiCorp participates in the wholesale market in this fashion, making purchases and sales to
keep its supply portfolio in balance with customers’ constantly varying needs. This interaction
with the market takes place on time scales ranging from hourly to years in advance. Without the
wholesale market, PacifiCorp or any other load serving entity would need to construct or own an
unnecessarily large margin of supplies that would go unutilized in all but the most unusual
circumstances and would substantially diminish its capability to cost effectively match delivery
patterns to the profile of customer demand. The market is not without its risks, as the experience
of the 2000-2001 market crisis, followed by the rapid price escalation during the first half of
2008 and subsequent demand destruction and rapid price declines in the second half of 2008,
have underscored. Unanticipated paradigm shifts in the market place can also cause significant
changes in market prices as evidenced by advancements in the ability of natural gas producers to
cost-effectively access abundant shale gas supplies over the past several years.
As with all markets, electricity markets are faced with a wide range of uncertainties. However,
some uncertainties are easier to evaluate than others. Market participants are routinely studying
demand uncertainties driven by weather and overall economic conditions. Similarly, there is a
reasonable amount of data available to gauge resource supply developments. For example,
WECC publishes an annual assessment of power supply and any number of data services are
available that track the status of new resource additions. A review of the WECC power supply
assessments is provided in Appendix J. The latest assessment, published in October 2012,
indicates that with the exception of Northern and Southern California, US WECC has adequate
resources through 2022. If only existing units and those under construction are considered, then
Northern and Southern California will need capacity in 2015 and 2017, respectively.
There are other uncertainties that are more difficult to analyze and that possess heavy influence
on the direction of future prices. One such uncertainty is the evolution of natural gas prices over
the course of the IRP planning horizon. Given the increased role of natural gas-fired generation,
gas prices have become a critical determinant in establishing western electricity prices, and this
trend is expected to continue over the term of this plan’s decision horizon. Another critical
uncertainty that weighs heavily on this IRP, as in past IRPs, is the prospect of future greenhouse
gas policy. A broad landscape of federal, regional, and state proposals aiming to curb
greenhouse gas emissions continues to widen the range of plausible future energy costs, and
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 3 – PLANNING ENVIRONMENT
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consequently, future electricity prices. Each of these uncertainties is explored in the cases
developed for this IRP and are discussed in more detail below.
Natural Gas Uncertainty
Over the last twelve years, North American natural gas markets have demonstrated exceptional
price volatility. Figure 3.1 shows historical day-ahead prices at the Henry Hub benchmark from
April 2, 2001 through December 28, 2012. Over this period, day-ahead gas prices settled at a
low of $1.72 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) on November 16, 2001 and at a high of
$18.41 per MMBtu on February 25, 2003. During the fall and early winter of 2005, prices
breached $15 per MMBtu after a wave of hurricanes devastated the gulf region in what turned
out to be the most active hurricane season in recorded history. Prices later topped $13 per
MMBtu in the summer of 2008 when oil prices began their epic climb above $140 per barrel in
the months preceding the global credit crisis. By early 2009 slow economic growth coupled with
abundant shale gas supplies pressured natural gas prices to dip below $5 per MMBtu; day-ahead
prices averaged $3.92 per MMBtu for 2009. Prices rose modestly and then ticked down with
day-ahead natural gas prices averaging $4.37, $3.99, and $2.75 per MMBtu for 2010 through
2012, respectively. Today’s natural gas prices are not adequate to incent new drilling; the
continued supply of natural gas is a result of improvements in well productivity, production from
wells being “held by production”, and large amounts of price insensitive dry gas produced as a
byproduct in wet gas and shale oil plays.
Figure 3.1 – Henry Hub Day-ahead Natural Gas Price History
Source: Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), Over the Counter Day-ahead Index
Beyond the geopolitical, extreme weather, and economic events that spawned day-ahead prices
above $13 per MMBtu, as recently as summer 2008, natural gas prices have exhibited an upward
trend from approximately $3 per MMBtu in 2002 to nearly $9 per MMBtu in 2008 followed by a
downward trend starting 2009. Over much of the former period, declining volumes from
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PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 3 – PLANNING ENVIRONMENT
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conventional, mature producing regions largely offset growth from unconventional resources.
However, prices in 2009 through 2012 reflect reduced demand and significant production gains
from unconventional domestic supplies such as tight and shale gas. Figure 3.2 shows a
breakdown of U.S. supply; Figure 3.3 illustrates the shale plays in the lower 48 states.
Figure 3.2 - U.S. Dry Natural Gas Production (TCF) by Source
Source: U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, Annual Energy Outlook 2013, Early
Release, December 5, 2012.
0
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PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 3 – PLANNING ENVIRONMENT
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Figure 3.3 – Shale Plays in Lower 48 States
Source: U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration
The supply/demand balance began to shift in 2007 and 2008 thanks to an unprecedented and
unexpected burst of growth from unconventional domestic supplies across the lower 48 states.
With rapid advancements in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technologies, producers
began drilling in geologic formations such as shale. Some of the most prominent contributors to
the rapid growth in unconventional natural gas production have been the Barnett Shale located
beneath the city of Fort Worth, Texas, the Woodford Shale located in Oklahoma and the
Marcellus Shale located in Pennsylvania. Strong growth also continued in the Rocky Mountain
region.
Prior to 2009, forecasters expected that a gradual restoration of improved supply/demand balance
would be achieved largely with growth in liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports. Indeed, there has
been tremendous growth in global liquefaction facilities located in major producing regions.
This expectation led to significant investments in regasification capacity to accommodate the
need for future LNG imports. However, the evolution of unconventional supplies and
continually growing estimates of shale gas reserves has significantly changed the need for LNG
imports. Today, liquefaction, not regasification, facilities are being proposed with one having
already been approved. As such, the U.S. is anticipated to export 0.6 billion cubic feet per day
(BCF/D) by 2016 reaching 4.5 BCF/D by 2027. Several factors contribute to a wide range of
price uncertainty in the mid- to long-term. Supporting downside price risk, technological
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 3 – PLANNING ENVIRONMENT
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advancements underlying the recent expansion of unconventional supplies opens the door to
tremendous growth potential in both production and proven reserves from shale formations
across North America. Increasing well productivity, technological innovations, and large
volumes of price insensitive associated gas have flattened the supply curve. In the long-term,
moderated oil prices from large oil shale finds could dampen demand for LNG exports and for
oil-to-gas substitution in the transportation sector. Supporting upside price risk, the next
generation of unconventional supplies may prove to be more difficult or costly to extract with the
possibility of drilling restrictions due to environmental concerns associated with hydraulic
fracturing, which would raise marginal costs, and consequently, raise prices. In addition, high oil
prices could incent increased LNG exports and increased oil-to-gas substitution in the
transportation sectors.
Western regional natural gas markets are likely to remain well-connected to overall North
American natural gas prices. Rocky Mountain region production has caused prices at the Opal
hubs to transact at a discount to the Henry Hub benchmark in recent years. Major pipeline
expansions to the mid-west and east coupled with further pipeline expansion plans to the west
have provided price support for Opal; however, prices remain discounted to Henry Hub. In the
Northwest, where natural gas markets are influenced by production and imports from Canada,
prices at Sumas have traded at a premium relative to other hubs in the region. This has been
driven in large part by declines in Canadian natural gas production and reduced imports into the
U.S. In the near-term, Canadian imports from British Columbia are expected to remain below
historical levels lending support for basis differentials in the region; however, in the mid- to
long-term, production potential from regional shale formations will have the opportunity to
soften the Sumas basis.
The Future of Federal Environmental Regulation and Legislation
PacifiCorp faces a continuously-changing environment with regard to electricity plant emission
regulations. Although the exact nature of these changes remains uncertain, they are expected to
impact the cost of future resource alternatives and the cost of existing resources in PacifiCorp’s
generation portfolio. PacifiCorp monitors these regulations to determine the potential impact on
the company’s generating assets and participates in the rulemaking process by filing comments
on various proposals and participating in scheduled hearings to provide the company’s
assessment on such proposals.
Timing of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Regulation
The U.S. EPA has undertaken a multi-pronged approach to minimize air, land, and water-based
environmental impacts. Many environmental regulations from the EPA are in various parallel
stages of development. Even in cases where the EPA has established deadlines for proposal or
finalization of a rule, these deadlines are frequently extended, making it difficult to determine
not only the final outcome of a rule, but when it may ultimately impact the Company.
Aside from potential greenhouse gas regulations, few of the environmental regulations under
consideration are likely to materially impact the industry in isolation; in aggregate, however,
they are expected to have a significant impact – especially on the coal-fueled generating units
that supply approximately 42 percent of the nation’s electricity. As such, each of these
regulations will have a significant impact on the utility industry and could affect environmental
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 3 – PLANNING ENVIRONMENT
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control requirements, limit operations, change dispatch, and could ultimately determine the
economic viability of PacifiCorp’s coal-fueled generation assets.
Federal Climate Change Legislation
PacifiCorp continues to evaluate the potential impact of climate change legislation at the federal
level. The impact of a given legislative proposal varies significantly depending on its selection of
key design criteria (i.e., level of emissions cap, rate of decline of the cap, the use of carbon
offsets, allowance allocation methodology, the use of safety valves, and etc.) and macro-
economic assumptions (i.e., electricity load growth, fuel prices – especially natural gas,
commodity prices, new technologies, etc.).
To date, no federal legislative climate change proposal has successfully been passed by both the
U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate for consideration by the President. The two
most prominent legislative proposals introduced for attempted passage through Congress have
been the Waxman-Markey bill in 2009 and the Kerry-Lieberman bill in 2010; neither measure
was able to accumulate enough support to pass.
In the 112th Congress, several bills were introduced designed to limit, remove, or suspend EPA’s
asserted regulatory authority over greenhouse gases, none of which were successful. In the
President’s State of the Union Address, the 113th Congress was challenged by the President to
pursue a bipartisan, market-based solution to climate change, indicating if Congress did not act
soon, the President would direct his Cabinet to implement executive action to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions. On February 14, 2013, Senators Bernie Sanders and Barbara Boxer introduced
climate legislation, the Climate Protection Act of 2013, which would, among other things,
impose a carbon fee of 20 dollars per ton on coal, petroleum and natural gas producers beginning
in 2014.
EPA Regulatory Update – Greenhouse Gas Emissions
In conjunction with its greenhouse gas endangerment finding in 2009, the EPA has aggressively
pursued the regulation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Key recent initiatives include the
following:
New Source Review / Prevention of Significant Deterioration (NSR / PSD)
On May 13, 2010, the EPA issued a final rule that addresses GHG emissions from stationary
sources under the Clean Air Act (CAA) permitting programs, known as the “tailoring” rule. This
final rule sets thresholds for GHG emissions that define when permits under the New Source
Review (NSR) / Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) and Title V Operating Permit
programs are required for new and existing industrial facilities. This final rule “tailors” the
requirements of these CAA permitting programs to limit which facilities will be required to
obtain PSD and Title V permits. The rule also establishes a schedule that will initially focus
CAA permitting programs on the largest sources with the most CAA permitting experience.
Finally, the rule expands to cover the largest sources of GHGs that may not have been previously
covered by the CAA for other pollutants.
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 3 – PLANNING ENVIRONMENT
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Guidance for Best Available Control Technology (BACT)
On November 10, 2010, the EPA published a set of guidance documents for the tailoring rule to
assist state permitting authorities and industry permitting applicants with the Clean Air Act PSD
and Title V permitting for sources of GHGs. Among these publications was a general guidance
document entitled “PSD and Title V Permitting Guidance for Greenhouse Gases,” which
included a set of appendices with illustrative examples of Best Available Control Technology
(BACT) determinations for different types of facilities, which are a requirement for PSD
permitting. The EPA also provided white papers with technical information concerning available
and emerging GHG emission control technologies and practices, without explicitly defining
BACT for a particular sector. In addition, the EPA has created a “Greenhouse Gas Emission
Strategies Database,” which contains information on strategies and control technologies for
GHG mitigation for two industrial sectors: electricity generation and cement production.
The guidance does not identify what constitutes BACT for specific types of facilities, and does
not establish absolute limits on a permitting authority’s discretion when issuing a BACT
determination for GHGs. Instead, the guidance emphasizes that the five-step top-down BACT
process for criteria pollutants under the CAA generally remains the same for GHGs. While the
guidance does not prescribe BACT in any area, it does state that GHG reduction options that
improve energy efficiency will be BACT in many or most instances because they cost less than
other environmental controls (and may even reduce costs) and because other add-on controls for
GHGs are limited in number and are at differing stages of development or commercial
availability. Utilities have remained very concerned about the NSR implications associated with
the tailoring rule (the requirement to conduct BACT analysis for GHG emissions) because of
great uncertainty as to what constitutes a triggering event and what constitutes BACT for GHG
emissions.
New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for Greenhouse Gases
On December 23, 2010, in a settlement reached with several states and environmental groups in
New York v. EPA, the EPA agreed to promulgate emissions standards covering GHGs from both
new and existing electric generating units under Section 111 of the CAA by July 26, 2011 and
issue final regulations by May 26, 2012.7 NSPS are established under the CAA for certain
industrial sources of emissions determined to endanger public health and welfare and must be
reviewed every eight years. While NSPS were intended to focus on new and modified sources
and effectively establish the floor for determining what constitutes BACT, the emission
guidelines will apply to existing sources as well. In April 2012, the EPA proposed a NSPS for
new fossil-fueled generating facilities that would limit emissions of carbon dioxide to 1,000
pounds per megawatt hour (MWh). The proposal exempted simple cycle combustion turbines
from meeting the standards. The public comment period closed in June 2012 and a final rule is
expected by April 2013. While the EPA is also under a consent decree obligation to establish
GHG NSPS for modified and existing sources, EPA has indicated it has not established a
schedule for doing so.
7 The deadlines for EPA to take proposed and final actions have since been extended. EPA also entered into a
similar settlement the same day to address greenhouse gas emissions from refineries with proposed regulations by
December 15, 2011 and final regulations by November 15, 2012.
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 3 – PLANNING ENVIRONMENT
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The emissions guidelines issued by the EPA will be used by states to develop plans for reducing
emissions and include targets based on demonstrated controls, emission reductions, costs and
expected timeframes for installation and compliance, and may be less stringent than the
requirements imposed on new sources. States must submit their plans to the EPA within nine
months after the guidelines’ publication unless the EPA establishes a different schedule. States
have the ability to apply less stringent standards or longer compliance schedules if they
demonstrate that following the federal guidelines is unreasonably cost-prohibitive, physically
impossible, or that there are other factors that reasonably preclude meeting the guidelines. States
may also impose more stringent standards or shorter compliance schedules.
EPA Regulatory Update – Non-Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Several categories of EPA regulations for non-GHG emissions are discussed below:
Clean Air Act Criteria Pollutants – National Ambient Air Quality Standards
Currently, PacifiCorp’s generation units must comply with the federal CAA, which is
implemented by the States subject to EPA approval and oversight. The CAA requires the EPA to
set National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for certain pollutants considered harmful
to public health and the environment. For a given NAAQS, the EPA and/or a state identifies
various control measures that once implemented are meant to achieve an air quality standard for
a certain pollutant, with each standard rigorously vetted by the scientific community, industry,
public interest groups, and the general public.
Particulate matter (PM), sulfur dioxide (SO2), ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon
monoxide (CO), and lead are often grouped together because under the CAA, each of these
categories is linked to one or more National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). These
“criteria pollutants”, while undesirable, are not toxic in typical concentrations in the ambient air.
Under the CAA, they are regulated differently from other types of emissions, such as hazardous
air pollutants and greenhouse gases.
Within the past few years, the EPA established new standards for particulate matter, sulfur
dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide. While the EPA had proposed to implement new ozone standards
in 2011, it was determined that the standards should be deferred until the next regularly
scheduled review in 2013.
Clean Air Transport Rule
In July 2009, EPA proposed its Clean Air Transport Rule (Transport Rule), which would require
new reductions in SO2 and nitrogen oxide (NOX) emissions from large stationary sources,
including power plants, located in 31 states and the District of Columbia beginning in 2012. The
Transport Rule was intended to help states attain NAAQS set in 1997 for ozone and fine
particulate matter emissions. The rule replaced the Bush administration’s Clean Air Interstate
Rule (CAIR), which was vacated in July 2008 and rescinded by a federal court because it failed
to effectively address pollution from upwind states that is hampering efforts by downwind states
to comply with ozone and PM NAAQS. While the rule was finalized as the Cross-State Air
Pollution Rule (CSAPR) in July 2011, litigation in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals resulted in
a stay on the implementation of the CSAPR in December 2011; Ultimately, in August 2012, the
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 3 – PLANNING ENVIRONMENT
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D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the CSAPR in a 2-1 decision after it determined the rule
exceeded the EPA’s statutory authority. The EPA sought a full review of the CSAPR ruling by
the entire D.C. Circuit; however, in January 2013, the court denied the request. Until a
replacement rule is adopted and implemented, the CAIR remains in place.
PacifiCorp does not own generating units in states identified by the CAIR or CSAPR and thus
will not be directly impacted; however, the Company intends to monitor amendments to these
rules closely in the event that the scope of a replacement rule extends the geographic scope of
impacted states.
Regional Haze
EPA’s rule to address Regional Haze visibility concerns will drive additional NOx reductions
particularly from facilities operating in the Western United States, including the states of Utah
and Wyoming where PacifiCorp operates generating units and Arizona, where PacifiCorp owns a
generating unit subject to the Regional Haze Rule. Unlike CAIR or CSAPR, which have no
direct impact on PacifiCorp’s states with generation, the finalized Regional Haze regulatory
activity will have an impact.
On June 15, 2005, EPA issued final amendments to its July 1999 Regional Haze rule. These
amendments apply to the provisions of the Regional Haze rule that require emission controls
known as Best Available Retrofit Technology (BART), for industrial facilities meeting certain
regulatory criteria that with emissions that have the potential to impact visibility. These
pollutants include PM2.5, NOX, SO2, certain volatile organic compounds, and ammonia. The
2005 amendments included final guidelines, known as BART guidelines, for states to use in
determining which facilities must install controls and the type of controls the facilities must use.
States were given until December 2007 to develop their implementation plans, in which states
were responsible for identifying the facilities that would have to reduce emissions under BART
as well as establishing BART emissions limits for those facilities.
The state of Utah issued a regional haze state implementation plan (SIP) requiring the installation
of SO2, NOx and particulate matter (PM) controls on Hunter Units 1 and 2 and Huntington Units
1 and 2. In December 2012, the EPA approved the SO2 portion of the Utah Regional Haze SIP
and disapproved the NOx and PM portions. Certain groups have appealed the EPA’s approval of
the SO2 SIP. The date for appealing the disapproval of the NOx and PM portions of the SIP is
March 25, 2013. In addition, and separate from the EPA’s approval process and related
litigation, the Utah Division of Air Quality is undertaking an additional BART analysis for each
of Hunter Units 1 and 2 and Huntington Units 1 and 2, which will be provided to the EPA as a
supplement to the existing Utah SIP. It is unknown whether and how the Utah Division of Air
Quality’s supplemental analysis will impact the EPA’s approval and disapproval of the existing
SIP.
In Wyoming, the state issued two regional haze SIPs requiring the installation of SO2, NOx and
PM controls on certain PacifiCorp coal-fueled generating facilities in Wyoming. The EPA
approved the SO2 SIP in December 2012, but initially proposed to disapprove portions of the
NOx and PM SIP and instead issue a federal implementation plan (FIP). The EPA proposed to
approve the installation of selective catalytic reduction (SCR) equipment and a baghouse at
Naughton Unit 3 by December 31, 2014; to approve the installation of SCR equipment at Jim
Bridger Unit 3 by December 31, 2015; and to approve the installation of SCR equipment at Jim
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 3 – PLANNING ENVIRONMENT
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Bridger Unit 4 by December 31, 2016. The EPA proposed to disapprove the NOx and PM SIP for
Jim Bridger Units 1 and 2 and instead accelerate the installation of SCR equipment to 2017 from
2021 and 2022, but agreed to accept comment on maintaining the original schedule as the state
proposed. In addition, the EPA proposed to reject the SIP for the Wyodak facility and Dave
Johnston Unit 3 and require the installation of selective non-catalytic reduction (SNCR)
equipment within five years, as well as require the installation of low-NOx burners and overfire
air systems at Dave Johnston Units 1 and 2. Since the EPA’s initial proposal, which was to have
been final in October 2012 and was extended to December 2012, the EPA has withdrawn its
proposed action on the SIP and its proposed FIP and has indicated its intent to re-propose action
on the Wyoming NOx and PM SIP by March 29, 2013, and take final action by September 27,
2013. In the meantime, certain groups have appealed the EPA’s approval of the Wyoming SO2
SIP which, consistent with the Utah SO2 SIP, required emission reductions of SO2 to be enforced
through a three-state milestone and backstop trading program.
In Arizona, the state issued a Regional Haze SIP requiring, among other things, the installation
of SO2, NOx and PM controls on Cholla Unit 4, which is owned by PacifiCorp but operated by
Arizona Public Service. The EPA approved in part, and disapproved in part, the Arizona SIP and
issued a FIP for the disapproved portions. PacifiCorp filed an appeal in the Ninth Circuit Court
of Appeals regarding the FIP as it relates to Cholla Unit 4, and the Arizona Department of
Environmental Quality and other affected Arizona utilities filed separate appeals of the FIP as it
relates to their interests.
Other cases are pending before the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals with regard to similar appeals
of FIPs issued by the EPA in New Mexico and Oklahoma.
Mercury and Hazardous Air Pollutants
In March 2005, the EPA issued the Clean Air Mercury Rule (CAMR) to permanently limit and
reduce mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants under a market-based cap-and-trade
program. However, the CAMR was vacated in February 2008, with the court finding the mercury
rules inconsistent with the stipulations of Section 112 of the CAA.
The vacated CAMR was replaced by EPA with the more extensive Mercury and Air Toxics
Standards (MATS) with an effective date of April 16, 2012. The MATS rule requires that new
and existing coal-fueled facilities achieve emission standards for mercury, acid gases and other
non-mercury hazardous air pollutants. Existing sources are required to comply with the new
standards by April 16, 2015. Individual sources may be granted up to one additional year, at the
discretion of the Title V permitting authority, to complete installation of controls or for
transmission system reliability reasons. While the final MATS requirements continue to be
reviewed by PacifiCorp, the Company believes its emission reduction projects completed to date
or currently permitted or planned for installation, including the scrubbers, baghouses and
electrostatic precipitators required under other EPA requirements, are consistent with achieving
the MATS requirements and will support PacifiCorp’s ability to comply with the final standards
for acid gases and non-mercury metallic hazardous air pollutants. PacifiCorp will be required to
take additional actions to reduce mercury emissions through the installation of controls or use of
sorbent injection at certain of its coal-fueled generating facilities and otherwise comply with the
standards.
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 3 – PLANNING ENVIRONMENT
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PacifiCorp currently anticipates that retiring the Carbon plant in early 2015 will be least-cost
alternative to comply with the MATS and other environmental regulations. PacifiCorp continues
to assess other issues, such as potential transmission system impacts, that could impact its
ultimate decision regarding the Carbon plant, including the timing of retirement and
decommissioning.
Coal Combustion Residuals
Coal Combustion Residuals (CCRs), including coal ash, are the byproducts from the combustion
of coal in power plants.
CCRs are currently considered exempt wastes under an amendment to the Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA); however, EPA proposed in 2010 to regulate CCRs for
the first time. EPA is considering two possible options for the management of CCRs. Both
options fall under the RCRA. Under the first option, EPA would list these residual materials as
special wastes subject to regulation under Subtitle C of RCRA with requirements from the point
of generation to disposition including the closure of disposal units. Under the second option,
EPA would regulate coal combustion residuals as nonhazardous waste under Subtitle D of
RCRA and establish minimum nationwide standards for the disposal of coal combustion
residuals. Under either option for regulation, surface impoundments utilized for coal combustion
byproducts would have to be closed unless they could meet more stringent regulatory
requirements. PacifiCorp operates 16 surface impoundments and six landfills that contain coal
combustion byproducts.
While the public comment period on EPA’s proposal to regulate coal combustion byproducts
closed in November 2010, the EPA has not indicated when the rule will be finalized, and the
substance of the final rule is not known. In briefs filed in litigation pending in the D.C. Circuit
Court of Appeals to force the EPA to meet a deadline to issue final coal combustion byproduct
rules, the EPA indicated it needs until at least 2014 to review comments, formulate a risk
assessment and coordinate the rule with the effluent limit guidelines discussed herein.
Water Quality Standards
Cooling Water Intake Structures
The federal Water Pollution Control Act (“Clean Water Act”) establishes the framework for
maintaining and improving water quality in the United States through a program that regulates,
among things, discharges to and withdrawals from waterways. The Clean Water Act requires that
cooling water intake structures reflect the “best technology available for minimizing adverse
environmental impact” to aquatic organisms. In July 2004, the EPA established significant new
technology-based performance standards for existing electricity generating facilities that take in
more than 50 million gallons of water per day. These rules were aimed at minimizing the adverse
environmental impacts of cooling water intake structures by reducing the number of aquatic
organisms lost as a result of water withdrawals. In response to a legal challenge to the rule, in
January 2007, the Court of Appeal for the Second Circuit remanded almost all aspects of the rule
to the EPA without addressing whether companies with cooling water intake structures were
required to comply with these requirements. On appeal from the Second Circuit, in April 2009,
the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the EPA permissibly relied on a cost-benefit analysis in
setting the national performance standards regarding best technology available for minimizing
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 3 – PLANNING ENVIRONMENT
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adverse environmental impact at cooling water intake structures and in providing for cost-benefit
variances from those standards as part of the §316(b) Clean Water Act Phase II regulations. The
Supreme Court remanded the case back to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals to conduct
further proceedings consistent with its opinion.
In March 2011, the EPA released a proposed rule under §316(b) of the Clean Water Act to
regulate cooling water intakes at existing facilities. The proposed rule establishes requirement for
electric generating facilities that withdraw more than two million gallons per day, based on total
design intake capacity, of water from waters of the U.S. and use at least 25 percent of the
withdrawn water exclusively for cooling purposes. PacifiCorp’s Dave Johnston generating
facility withdraws more than two million gallons per day of water from waters of the U.S. Jim
Bridger, Naughton, Gadsby, Hunter, Carbon and Huntington generating facilities currently
utilize closed cycle cooling towers but withdraw more than two million gallons of water per day.
The proposed rule includes impingement (i.e., when fish and other aquatic organisms are trapped
against screens when water is drawn into a facility’s cooling system) mortality standards to be
met through average impingement mortality or intake velocity design criteria and entrainment
(i.e., when organisms are drawn into the facility) standards to be determined on a case-by-case
basis. The standards are required to be met as soon as possible after the effective date of the final
rule, but no later than eight years thereafter. While the rule was required to be finalized by the
EPA by July 2012, the deadline for finalizing the rule was extended to June 2013. Assuming the
final rule is issued by June 2013, PacifiCorp’s generating facilities impacted by the final rule will
be required to complete impingement and entrainment studies in 2014.
Effluent Limit Guidelines
EPA first issued effluent guidelines for the Steam Electric Power Generating Point Source
Category (i.e., the Steam Electric effluent guidelines) in 1974 with subsequent revisions in 1977
and 1982. The EPA is currently under a deadline of April 19, 2013 to propose revised effluent
limit guidelines and sent the proposed rulemaking package to the Office of Management and
Budget for interagency review in January 2013. The EPA is required, under the terms of a
stipulated extension to a consent decree, to finalize the rule by May 2014. While the EPA has
indicated that the growing use of flue-gas desulfurization systems has increased the amount of
toxic metals discharged from power plants, until the required technology-based effluent
limitations and standards are proposed and finalized, PacifiCorp cannot determine the potential
impact of the rules on its facilities. In addition, the effluent limit guidelines will apply to gas-
fired generation.
State Climate Change Regulation
While national greenhouse gas legislation has yet to be successfully adopted, state initiatives
continue with the active development of climate change regulations that will impact PacifiCorp.
California
An executive order signed by California’s governor in June 2005 would reduce greenhouse gas
emissions in that state to 2000 levels by 2010, to 1990 levels by 2020 and 80 percent below 1990
levels by 2050. In 2006, the California Legislature passed and Governor Schwarzenegger signed
Assembly Bill 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, which set the 2020 greenhouse
gas emissions reduction goal into law. It directed the California Air Resources Board to begin
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 3 – PLANNING ENVIRONMENT
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developing discrete early actions to reduce greenhouse gases while also preparing a scoping plan
to identify how best to reach the 2020 limit.
Pursuant to the authority of the Global Warming Solutions Act, in October 2011, the California
Air Resources Board adopted a greenhouse gas cap-and-trade program with an effective date of
January 1, 2012; compliance obligations were imposed on regulated entities beginning in 2013.
The first auction of greenhouse gas allowances was held in California in November 2012 and the
second auction in February 2013. PacifiCorp is required to sell, through the auction process, its
directly allocated allowances, and purchase the required amount of allowances necessary to meet
its compliance obligations.
Oregon and Washington
In 2007, the Oregon Legislature passed HB 3543 Global Warming Actions which establishes
greenhouse gas reduction goals for the state that (i) by 2010, cease the growth of Oregon
greenhouse gas emissions; (ii) by 2020, reduce greenhouse gas levels to 10 percent below 1990
levels; and (iii) by 2050, reduce greenhouse gas levels to at least 75 percent below 1990 levels.
In 2009, the Legislature passed SB 101 which requires the Public Utility Commission of Oregon
(OPUC) to report to the Legislature before November 1 of each even-numbered year on the
estimated rate impacts for Oregon’s regulated electric and natural gas companies associated with
meeting the greenhouse gas reduction goals of 10 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 and 15
percent below 2005 levels by 2020. The OPUC submitted its most recent report November 1,
2012.
During the 2013 session, the Oregon Legislature is considering a number of bills relating to the
implementation of a carbon tax; it is unknown whether those bills will be passed. In addition,
Oregon is considering the viability of establishing a voluntary greenhouse gas emission program
that would allow utilities to consider alternative forms of regulation designed to lower
greenhouse gas emissions.
In 2008, the Washington State Legislature approved the Climate Change Framework E2SHB
2815, which establishes state greenhouse gas emissions reduction limits. Washington’s emission
limits are to (i) by 2020, reduce emissions to 1990 levels; (ii) by 2035, reduce emissions to 25
percent below 1990 levels; and (iii) by 2050, reduce emissions to 50 percent below 1990 levels,
or 70 percent below Washington’s forecasted emissions in 2050. In the 2013 session, the
Washington Legislature is considering a bill that would develop recommendations to achieve the
state’s greenhouse gas emission limits.
Greenhouse Gas Emission Performance Standards
California, Oregon and Washington have all adopted greenhouse gas emission performance
standards applicable to all electricity generated within the state or delivered from outside the
state that is no higher than the greenhouse gas emission levels of a state-of-the-art combined-
cycle natural gas generation facility. The standards are currently set at 1,100 pounds of carbon
dioxide equivalent per MWh, which is defined as a metric measure used to compare the
emissions from various greenhouse gases based upon their global warming potential. The
Washington Department of Commerce is pursuing a rulemaking process to lower the emissions
performance standard; while the rulemaking is not yet final, the Department of Commerce most
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recently proposed an emission performance standard of 970 pounds of carbon dioxide per MWh.
Efforts are also underway in Oregon to effectuate changes to the state’s emission performance
standard to broaden its applicability.
Renewable Portfolio Standards
A renewable portfolio standard (RPS) requires each retail seller of electricity to include in its
resource portfolio a certain amount of electricity from renewable energy resources, such as wind,
geothermal and solar energy. The retailer can satisfy this obligation by using renewable energy
from its own facility, purchasing renewable energy from someone else's facility, using renewable
energy credits (RECs) which certify renewable energy has been created, or a combination of all
of these.
RPS policies are currently implemented at the state level and vary considerably in their
requirements with respect to timeframe, resource eligibility, applicability of existing plants and
contracts, arrangements for enforcement and penalties, and whether they allow REC trading. By
the end of 2012, twenty-nine states, the District of Columbia and two territories had adopted a
mandatory RPS, eight states and two territories had adopted RPS goals.8
Within PacifiCorp’s service territory, California, Oregon, and Washington have adopted a
mandatory RPS and Utah has adopted an RPS goal. Each of these states’ legislation and
requirements are summarized in Table 3.1, with additional discussion below.
Table 3.1 – State RPS Requirements
8 Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE)
CA OR WA UT
Legislation •Senate Bill 1078 (2002)
•Assembly Bill 200
(2005)
•Senate Bill 107 (2006)
•Senate Bill 2 First
Extraordinary Session
(2011)
•Senate Bill 838, Oregon
Renewable Energy Act
(2007)
•House Bill 3039 (2009)
•Initiative Measure
No. 937 (2006)
•Senate Bill 202 (2008)
Requirement
or Goal
•20% by 2010
•Average of 20% through
2013
•25% by December 31,
2016
•33% by December 31,
2020 and beyond
•Based on the retail load
for that compliance
period
•At least 5% of load by
December 31, 2014
•At least 15% by
December 31, 2019
•At least 20% by
December 31, 2024
•At least 25% by
December 31, 2025
and thereafter
•Based on the retail
load for that year
•Invest in 20 MW solar
by January 1, 2020 --
PGE, PacifiCorp and
IdahoPower combined
•At least 3% of load
by January 1, 2012
•At least 9% by
January 1, 2016
•At least 15% by
January 1, 2020
•Annual targets are
based on the
average of the
utility’s load for the
previous two years
•Goal of 20% by 2025
(must be cost
effective)
•Annual targets are
based on the adjusted
retail sales for the
calendar year 36
month prior to the
target year
•Adjustments for
generated or
purchased from
qualifying zero carbon
emissions and carbon
capture sequestration
and DSM
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 3 – PLANNING ENVIRONMENT
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California
California originally established its RPS program with passage of Senate Bill 1078 in 2002.
There have been several bills that have since been passed into law to amend the program. In the
2011 1st Extraordinary Special Session, the California Legislature passed Senate Bill 29 (SB 2
(1x)) to increase California’s RPS to 33 percent by 2020. SB 2 (1x) also expanded the RPS
requirements to all retail sellers of electricity and publicly owned utilities, and established the
following targets for renewable procurement based on retail load:
Extends the current 2010 mandate of procuring 20 percent of electricity from renewable
resources out to December 31, 2013;
Requires 25 percent of electricity to come from renewable resources by December 31,
2016; and,
Requires 33 percent of electricity to come from renewable resources by December 31,
2020, and each year thereafter.
Qualifying renewable resources include solar thermal electric, photovoltaic, landfill gas, wind,
biomass, geothermal, municipal solid waste, energy storage, anaerobic digestion, small
hydroelectric, tidal energy, wave energy, ocean thermal, biodiesel, and fuel cells using renewable
fuels. The RECs must be certified as eligible for the California RPS by the California Energy
Commission and tracked in the Western Renewable Energy Generation Information System
(WREGIS).
In addition to increasing the target from 20 percent in 2010 to 33 percent in 2020 and each year
thereafter, SB 2 (1x) also created multi-year compliance periods. The California Public Utilities
Commission approved the methodology for calculating the multi-year compliance periods and
years thereafter; this is provided below in Table 3.2.
Table 3.2 – California Compliance Period Requirements
California RPS Compliance Period Procurement Quantity Requirement Calculation
Compliance Period 1: 2011-2013 20% * 2011 Retail Sales + 20% * 2012 Retail
Sales + 20% * 2013 Retail Sales
Compliance Period 2: 2014-2016 21.7% * 2014 Retail Sales + 23.3% * 2015
Retail Sales + 25% * 2016 Retail Sales
Compliance Period 3: 2017-2020 27% * 2017 Retail Sales + 29% * 2018 Retail
Sales + 31% * 2019 Retail Sales + 33% * 2020
Retail Sales
2021 and Beyond 33% * Annual Retail Sales
SB 2 (1x) also established new “portfolio content categories” for RPS procurement, which
delineated the type of renewable product that may be used for compliance and also set minimum
9 http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/11-12/bill/sen/sb_0001-0050/sbx1_2_bill_20110412_chaptered.pdf
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 3 – PLANNING ENVIRONMENT
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and maximum limits on certain procurement content categories that can be used for compliance.
The portfolio content categories pursuant to SB 2 (1x) are described below:
Portfolio Content Category 1 includes energy and RECs that meet either of the following criteria
(a) have a first point of interconnection with a California balancing authority, have a first point
of interconnection with distribution facilities used to serve end users within a California
balancing authority area, or are scheduled from the eligible renewable energy resource into a
California balancing authority without substituting electricity from another source. The use of
another source to provide real-time ancillary services required to maintain an hourly or sub-
hourly import schedule into a California balancing authority shall be permitted, but only the
fraction of the schedule actually generated by the eligible renewable energy resource shall count
toward this portfolio content category; or (b) have an agreement to dynamically transfer
electricity to a California balancing authority.
Portfolio Content Category 2 includes firmed and shaped eligible renewable energy resource
electricity products providing incremental electricity and scheduled into a California balancing
authority.
Portfolio Content Category 3 includes eligible renewable energy resource electricity products, or
any fraction of the electricity, including unbundled10 renewable energy credits that do not qualify
under the criteria of Portfolio Content Category 1 or Portfolio Content Category 2.
Additionally, the California Public Utilities Commission established the balanced portfolio
requirements for contracts executed after June 1, 2010. The balanced portfolio requirements set
minimum and maximum levels for the Procurement Content Category products that may be used
in each compliance period.
Table 3.3 – California Balanced Portfolio Requirements
California RPS Compliance Period Balanced Portfolio Requirement
Compliance Period 1: 2011-2013 Category 1 – Minimum of 50% of Requirement
Category 3 – Maximum of 25% of Requirement
Compliance Period 2: 2014-2016 Category 1 – Minimum of 65% of Requirement
Category 3 – Maximum of 15% of Requirement
Compliance Period 3: 2017-2020 Category 1 – Minimum of 75% of Requirement
Category 3 – Maximum of 10% of Requirement
In December 2011, the California Public Utilities Commission adopted a decision confirming
that multi-jurisdictional utilities, such as PacifiCorp, are not subject to the percentage limits
within the three portfolio content categories. PacifiCorp is required to file annual compliance
reports with the California Public Utilities Commission and annual procurement reports with the
California Energy Commission.
10 A REC can be sold either "bundled" with the underlying energy or "unbundled", as a separate commodity from
the energy itself, into a separate REC trading market.
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The California Public Utilities Commission is in the process of an extensive rulemaking to
implement the remaining requirements under SB 2 (1x).
The full California RPS statute is listed under Public Utilities Code Section 399.11-399.32.
Additional information on the California RPS can be found on the California Public Utilities
Commission and California Energy Commission websites.
Oregon
Oregon established the Oregon RPS with passage of Senate Bill 838 in 2007. The law, called the
Oregon Renewable Energy Act11 was adopted in June 2007 and provides a comprehensive
renewable energy policy for Oregon. Subject to certain exemptions and cost limitations
established in the Oregon Renewable Energy Act, PacifiCorp and other qualifying electric
utilities must meet minimum qualifying electricity requirements for electricity sold to retail
customers of at least five percent in 2011 through 2014, 15 percent in 2015 through 2019, 20
percent in 2020 through 2024, and 25 percent in 2025 and subsequent years. Qualifying
renewable energy sources can be located anywhere in the United States portion of the Western
Electricity Coordinating Council geographic area, and a limited amount of unbundled renewable
energy credits can be used toward the annual compliance obligation.
Eligible renewable resources include electricity generated from wind, solar photovoltaic, solar
thermal, wave, tidal, ocean thermal, geothermal, certain types of biomass and biogas, municipal
solid waste, and hydrogen power stations using anhydrous ammonia. Electricity generated by a
hydroelectric facility is eligible, if the facility is not located in any federally protected areas
designated by the Pacific Northwest Electric Power and Conservation Planning Council as of
July 23, 1999, or any area protected under the federal Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, P.L. 90-542,
or the Oregon Scenic Waterways Act, ORS 390.805 to 390.925; or if the electricity is
attributable to efficiency upgrades made to the facility on or after January 1, 1995, and up to 50
average megawatts of electricity per year generated by a certified low-impact hydroelectric
facility owned by an electric utility and up to 40 average megawatts of electricity per year
generated by certified low-impact hydroelectric facilities not owned by electric utilities.
Utilities can bank RECs from qualifying resources beginning January 1, 2007 for the purpose of
carrying them forward for future compliance. The RECs must be certified as eligible for the
Oregon RPS by the Oregon Department of Energy and tracked in WREGIS.
In 2009, Oregon passed House Bill 3039, also called the Oregon Solar Initiative, requiring that
on or before January 1, 2020, the total solar photovoltaic generating nameplate capacity must be
at least 20 megawatts from all electric companies in the state. Qualifying solar photovoltaic
systems must be at least 500 kilowatts in capacity with no single project greater than five
megawatts of alternating current. Any qualifying solar photovoltaic systems that are online
before January 1, 2016 will be credited with two megawatt-hours for every one megawatt-hour
generated. The Oregon Public Utility Commission determined that PacifiCorp’s share of the
Oregon Solar Initiative is 8.7 megawatts.
11 http://www.leg.state.or.us/07reg/measpdf/sb0800.dir/sb0838.en.pdf
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 3 – PLANNING ENVIRONMENT
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PacifiCorp files an annual RPS compliance report by June 1 of every year and in every odd year
by January 1 PacifiCorp files a renewable implementation plan. PacifiCorp’s compliance reports
and implementation plans are made available on PacifiCorp’s website12.
The full Oregon RPS statute is listed in Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS) Chapter 469A and the
solar capacity standard is listed in ORS Chapter 757. The Public Utility Commission of Oregon
rules are included within Oregon Administrative Rules (OAR) Chapter 860 Division 083 for the
RPS and OAR Chapter 860 Division 084 for the solar photovoltaic program. The Oregon
Department of Energy rules are under OAR Chapter 330 Division 160.
Utah
In March 2008, Utah’s governor signed Utah Senate Bill 20213, “Energy Resource and Carbon
Emission Reduction Initiative;” legislation. Among other things, this law provides that,
beginning in the year 2025, 20 percent of adjusted retail electric sales of all Utah utilities be
supplied by renewable energy, if it is cost effective. Retail electric sales will be adjusted by
deducting the amount of generation from sources that produce zero or reduced carbon emissions,
and for sales avoided as a result of energy efficiency and demand-side management programs.
Qualifying renewable energy sources can be located anywhere in the Western Electricity
Coordinating Council areas, and unbundled renewable energy credits can be used for up to 20
percent of the annual qualifying electricity target.
Eligible renewable resources include electricity generation or a generation facility from a facility
or upgrade that becomes operational on or after January 1, 1995 that derives its energy from
wind, solar photovoltaic, solar thermal electric, wave, tidal or ocean thermal, certain types of
biomass and biomass products, landfill gas or municipal solid waste, geothermal, waste gas and
waste heat capture or recovery, and efficiency upgrades to hydroelectric facilities if the upgrade
occurred after January 1, 1995. Up to 50 average megawatts from a certified low impact hydro
facility and in state geothermal and hydro generation without regard to operational online date
may also be used toward the target. To assist solar development in Utah, solar facilities located
in Utah receive credit for 2.4 kilowatt-hours of qualifying electricity for each kWh of generation.
Under the Carbon Reduction Initiative, PacifiCorp is required to file a progress report by January
1 of each of the years 2010, 2015, 2020 and 2024. PacifiCorp filed a progress report on
December 31, 2009. The Utah Division of Public Utilities is required to provide the Legislature
with a summary report on the progress made by these electrical corporations by January 1 of the
years 2011, 2016, 2021, 2025. In the Utah Division of Public Utilities’ report to the Legislature,
it was stated that, “Given PacifiCorp’s projections of its loads and qualifying electricity for 2025,
PacifiCorp is well positioned to meet a target of 20 percent renewable energy by 2025.”
PacifiCorp’s next Carbon Reduction Progress Report is expected to be filed by January 1, 2015.
In 2027, the legislation requires a commission report to the Utah Legislature which may contain
any recommendation for penalties or other action for failure to meet the 2025 target. The
legislation requires that any recommendation for a penalty must provide that the penalty funds be
used for demand-side management programs for the customers of the utility paying the penalty.
12 www.pacificpower.net/ORrps 13 http://le.utah.gov/~2008/bills/sbillenr/sb0202.pdf
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 3 – PLANNING ENVIRONMENT
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The Energy Resource and Carbon Emission Reduction Initiative is codified in Utah Code Title
54 Chapter 17.
Washington
In November 2006, Washington voters approved Initiative 937,14 a ballot measure establishing
the Energy Independence Act, which is an RPS and energy efficiency requirement applied to
qualifying electric utilities, including PacifiCorp. The law requires that qualifying utilities
procure at least three percent of retail sales from eligible renewable resources or RECs by
January 1, 2012 through 2015, nine percent of retail sales by January 1, 2016 through 2019 and
15 percent of retail sales by January 1, 2020 and every year thereafter.
Eligible renewable resources include electricity produced from water, wind, solar energy,
geothermal energy, landfill gas, wave, ocean, or tidal power, gas from sewage treatment
facilities, biodiesel fuel with limitation, and biomass energy based on organic byproducts of the
pulp and wood manufacturing process, animal waste, solid organic fuels from wood, forest, or
field residues, or dedicated energy crops. Qualifying renewable energy sources must be located
within the Pacific Northwest or delivered into Washington on a real-time basis without shaping,
storage, or integration services. Moreover, the only hydroelectric resource eligible for
compliance is electricity associated with efficiency upgrades to hydroelectric facilities. Utilities
may use eligible renewable resources, RECs or a combination of both to meet the RPS
requirement.
PacifiCorp is required to file an annual RPS compliance report demonstrating compliance with
the Energy Independence Act by June 1 of every year with the Washington Utilities and
Transportation Commission. PacifiCorp’s compliance reports are made available on PacifiCorp’s
website15.
The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission adopted final rules to implement the
initiative; the rules are listed in the Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 19.285 and the
Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 480-109.
Federal Renewable Portfolio Standard
The United States Congress has considered a federal RPS or a national clean energy standard in
the past several years. This type of national policy could increase investment in a broad range of
renewable energy resources and advanced technologies. Proponents of a national clean energy
standard argue that it would provide a range of benefits including fostering the creation of clean
energy industries, creating clean energy jobs, enabling the advancement of new technologies,
diversifying energy portfolio, and providing positive public health and environmental impacts. If
a national clean energy standard is considered, several key challenges exist including but not
limited to how a national clean energy standard can be harmonized with existing state RPS
programs, balancing the benefits of the policy with the costs of such policy. However, Congress
has not yet adopted a national clean energy standard.
14 http://www.secstate.wa.gov/elections/initiatives/text/I937.pdf 15 www.pacificpower.net/WArps
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 3 – PLANNING ENVIRONMENT
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Hydroelectric Relicensing
The issues involved in relicensing hydroelectric facilities are multifaceted. They involve
numerous federal and state environmental laws and regulations, and participation of numerous
stakeholders including agencies, Indian tribes, non-governmental organizations, and local
communities and governments.
The value to relicensing hydroelectric facilities is continued availability of hydroelectric
generation. Hydroelectric projects can often provide unique operational flexibility as they can be
called upon to meet peak customer demands almost instantaneously and provide back-up for
intermittent renewable resources such as wind. In addition to operational flexibility,
hydroelectric generation does not have the emissions concerns of thermal generation. With the
exception of the Klamath River and Wallowa Falls hydroelectric projects, all of PacifiCorp’s
applicable generating facilities now operate under contemporary licenses from the Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The 169 MW Klamath River hydroelectric project
continues to operate under its existing license while PacifiCorp works with parties to implement
a 2010 settlement agreement that would result in removal of the project. The assumed date of
the removal in the IRP is January 1, 2021. The 1.1 MW Wallowa Falls project is currently
undergoing the FERC relicensing process.
FERC hydroelectric relicensing is administered within a very complex regulatory framework and
is an extremely political and often controversial public process. The process itself requires that
the project’s impacts on the surrounding environment and natural resources, such as fish and
wildlife, be scientifically evaluated, followed by development of proposals and alternatives to
mitigate for those impacts. Stakeholder consultation is conducted throughout the process. If
resolution of issues cannot be reached in this process, litigation often ensues which can be costly
and time-consuming. The usual alternative to relicensing is decommissioning. Both choices,
however, can involve significant costs.
The FERC has sole jurisdiction under the Federal Power Act to issue new operating licenses for
non-federal hydroelectric projects on navigable waterways, federal lands, and under other certain
criteria. The FERC must find that the project is in the broad public interest. This requires
weighing, with “equal consideration,” the impacts of the project on fish and wildlife, cultural
resources, recreation, land-use, and aesthetics against the project’s energy production benefits.
However, because some of the responsible state and federal agencies have the ability to place
mandatory conditions in the license, the FERC is not always in a position to balance the energy
and environmental equation. For example, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration Fisheries agency and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have the authority within
the relicensing process to require installation of fish passage facilities (fish ladders and screens)
at projects. This is often the largest single capital investment that will be considered in
relicensing and can significantly impact project economics. Also, because a myriad of other state
and federal laws come into play in relicensing, most notably the Endangered Species Act and the
Clean Water Act, agencies’ interests may compete or conflict with each other leading to
potentially contrary, or additive, licensing requirements. PacifiCorp has generally taken a
proactive approach towards achieving the best possible relicensing outcome for its customers by
engaging in settlement negotiations with stakeholders, the results of which are submitted to the
FERC for incorporation into a new license. The FERC welcomes settlement agreements into the
relicensing process, and with associated recent license orders, has generally accepted agreement
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 3 – PLANNING ENVIRONMENT
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terms. Recently, the FERC has promoted that project owners seeking a new license do so
through the Integrated Licensing Process (ILP). The ILP involves the FERC at early stages of the
relicensing and seeks to resolve stakeholder issues in a timely manner.
Potential Impact
Relicensing hydroelectric facilities involves significant process costs. The FERC relicensing
process takes a minimum of five years and may take longer, depending on the characteristics of
the project, the number of stakeholders, and issues that arise during the process. As of December
31, 2012, PacifiCorp had incurred approximately $49 million in costs for license implementation
and ongoing hydroelectric relicensing, which are included in Construction work-in-progress on
PacifiCorp's Consolidated Balance Sheet. As current or upcoming relicensing and/or settlement
efforts continue for the Klamath River, Wallowa Falls, and other hydroelectric projects,
additional process costs are being or will be incurred that will need to be recovered from
customers. Also, new requirements from contemporary FERC orders and expected requirements
from ongoing or new relicensing processes could amount to over $978 million over the 30 to 50
year terms of these orders. Such costs include capital investments, and related operations and
maintenance costs made in fish passage facilities, recreational facilities, wildlife protection,
cultural and flood management measures as well as project operational changes such as
increased in-stream flow requirements to protect aquatic resources resulting in lost generation.
The majority of these relicensing and settlement costs relate to PacifiCorp’s three largest
hydroelectric projects: Lewis River, Klamath River and North Umpqua.
Treatment in the IRP
The known or expected operational impacts related to FERC orders and settlement commitments
are incorporated in the projection of existing hydroelectric resources discussed in Chapter 5.
PacifiCorp’s Approach to Hydroelectric Relicensing
PacifiCorp continues to manage this process by pursuing interest-based resolutions and/or
negotiated settlements as part of relicensing. PacifiCorp believes this proactive approach, which
involves meeting agency and others’ interests through creative solutions is the best way to
achieve environmental improvement while managing costs. PacifiCorp also has reached
agreements with licensing stakeholders to decommission projects where that has been the most
cost-effective outcome for customers.
Rate Design Information
Current rate designs in Utah have evolved over time based on orders and direction from the
Public Service Commission in Utah and settlement agreements between parties during general
rate cases. Most recently, current rates and rate design changes were adopted in Docket No. 11-
035-200. Generally, the goals for rate design are to reflect the costs to serve customers and to
provide price signals to encourage economically efficient usage. This is consistent with resource
planning goals that balance consideration of costs, risk, and long-run public policy goals. The
Company currently has a number of rate design elements that take into consideration these
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 3 – PLANNING ENVIRONMENT
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objectives, in particular, rate designs that reflect cost differences for energy or demand during
different time periods and that support the goals of acquiring cost-effective energy efficiency.
Residential Rate Design – Residential rates in Utah are comprised of a customer charge and
energy charges. The customer charge is a monthly charge that provides limited recovery of
customer-related costs incurred to serve customers regardless of usage. All other remaining costs
are recovered through volumetric-based energy charges. Energy charges for residential
customers are designed with an inclining tier rate structure such that high usage during a billing
month is charged a higher rate than low usage. In this way, customers face a price signal to
encourage reduced consumption. Additionally, energy charges are differentiated by season with
higher rates in the summer when the costs to serve are higher. Residential customers also have
an option for time-of-day rates. Time-of-day rates have a surcharge for usage during the on-peak
periods and a credit for usage during the off-peak periods. This rate structure provides an
additional price signal to encourage customers to use less energy during the daily on-peak
periods when energy costs are higher. Currently, less than one percent of customers have opted
to participate in the time-of-day rate option.
Changes in residential rate design that might facilitate IRP objectives include deploying a
mandatory time-of-day rate design that reflects the higher costs of on-peak usage to all
residential customers rather than a self-selected few. Time-of-day rates are discussed in more
detail in Chapter 6 (Resource Options). Any changes in residential rate design to support energy
efficiency or time-differentiated usage should be balanced with the recovery of fixed costs in
order to ensure the price signals are economically efficient.
Commercial and Industrial Rate Design – Commercial and industrial rates in Utah are
comprised of customer charges, facilities charges, power charges (for usage over 15 kW) and
energy charges. As with residential rates, customer charges and facilities charges are intended to
recover costs that don’t vary with usage. Power charges are applied to a customer’s monthly
demand on a kW basis and are intended to recover the costs associated with demand or capacity
needs. Energy charges are applied to the customer’s metered usage on a kWh basis. All
commercial and industrial rates employ seasonal variations in power and/or energy charges with
higher rates in the summer months to reflect the higher costs to serve during the summer peak
period. Additionally, for customers with load 1,000 kW or more, rates are further differentiated
by on-peak and off-peak periods for both power and energy charges. For commercial and
industrial customers with load less than 1,000 kW, the Company offers two optional time-of-day
rates—one that differentiates energy rates for on- and off-peak usage and one that differentiates
power charges by on- and off-peak usage. Currently, approximately 15 percent of the eligible
customers are on the energy time-of-day option and less than one percent are on the power time-
of-day option.
Changes in rate design that might facilitate IRP objectives include evaluating current rates in
light of the growing interest in self generation by commercial and industrial customers, which is
captured in the load forecast in IRP. Ensuring that partial requirements rates for customers with
self generation that better reflect the costs of providing backup service to these customers is
expected to be addressed in the Company’s next general rate case. Partial requirements rate
design is important so that customers face a true economic price as they make decisions
regarding self generation.
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Irrigation Rate Design – Irrigation rates in Utah are comprised of an annual customer charge, a
monthly customer charge, seasonal power charge and energy charges. The annual and monthly
customer charges provide some recovery of customer-related costs incurred to serve customers
regardless of usage. All other remaining costs are recovered through a seasonal power charge
and energy charges. Power charge is for the irrigation season only and is designed to recover
demand-related costs and to encourage irrigation customers to control and reduce their power
consumption. Energy charges for irrigation customers are designed with two options. One is a
time-of-day program with higher rates for on-peak consumption than for off-peak consumption.
In this way, customers face a price signal to encourage reduced consumption during the on-peak
period when energy costs are higher. Irrigation customers also have an option to participate in a
third party operated Irrigation Load Control Program. Customers are offered a financial incentive
to participate in the program and give the Company the right to interrupt the service to the
participating customers when energy costs are higher.
Energy Imbalance Market
PacifiCorp signed a memorandum of understanding with the California Independent System
Operator Corporation (ISO) February 12, 2013 to outline terms for the implementation of an
energy imbalance market (EIM) by October 2014. A benefit study was completed by Energy
and Environmental Economics which shows a range of benefits to PacifiCorp and the ISO in
2017 from $21.4m to $128.7m per year. The Company’s cost payable to the CAISO is a $2.1m
one-time start-up and $1.3m per year on-going, in addition to internal Company costs for items
such as metering, software and additional staffing.
An energy imbalance market is a five-minute market administered by a single market operator
using an economic dispatch model to issue instructions to generating resources to meet the load
for the entire footprint of the EIM. Market participants voluntarily bid their resources into the
EIM. The market operator, in addition to providing dispatch instructions, provides five-minute
locational marginal prices to the market participants to be used for settlement of the energy
imbalance. Energy imbalance is the difference between the forecast load or generation and the
actual load or generation. The benefits of an EIM include economic efficiency of an automated
dispatch, savings due to diversity of loads and variable resources in the expanded footprint, and
favorable impacts to reliability or operational risk.
Recent Resource Procurement Activities
PacifiCorp issued and will issue multiple requests for proposals (RFP) to secure resources and /
or transact on various energy and environmental attribute products. Table 3.4 summarizes
current RFP activities.
Table 3.4 – PacifiCorp’s Request for Proposal Activities
RFP RFP Objective Status Issued Completed
All Source RFP for 2016
Resource
600MW Canceled January 2012 October 2012
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RFP RFP Objective Status Issued Completed
Demand-side Resources
Oregon Solar 2010S 2 MW Closed October 2012
Oregon Solar 2013S 6.7 MW Pending 1st Quarter 2013 December 2014
Natural Gas Long-term physical
and financial
products
Open May 2012 May 2013
Natural Gas Transportation Firm natural gas
supply to Naughton
starting 2015
Pending 2nd Quarter 2013 December 2013
Natural Gas Transportation Long-term gas
transportation for
Lake Side II resource
Complete July 2011 May 2013
Renewable energy credits (Sale) Excess system RECs Open Quarterly Ongoing
Renewable energy credits
(Purchase)
Oregon compliance
needs
Open Based on
specific need
Ongoing
Renewable energy credits
(Purchase)
Washington
compliance needs
Open Based on
specific need
Ongoing
Renewable energy credits
(Purchase)
California
compliance needs
Open Based on
specific need
Ongoing
Short-term Market (Sales) System balancing Open Quarterly Ongoing
All-Source Request for Proposals
PacifiCorp issued an all source RFP for a 2016 resource up to 600 megawatts on a system-wide
basis in four categories: base load, intermediate, renewable and summer peaking, which are
required to be on-line by June 2016. The RFP was issued to market in January 2012 for Utah and
April 2012 for Oregon with a bid due date in May 2012. The bidders on the initial shortlists were
notified in July 2012 and best and final pricing received in August 2012. As part of the all source
RFP process, PacifiCorp filed an updated needs assessment in Oregon and Utah in September
2012, which included an update to the load and resource balance. For 2016, the load and
resource balance was reduced, resulting in no significant resource need in 2016. As a result,
PacifiCorp provided notice to terminate the all source RFP in Utah and withdrew PacifiCorp’s
all source RFP application in Oregon. A technical conference was held in October 2012 to
explain the cancellation of the RFP.
Demand-side Resources
The comprehensive demand-side management RFP (2008 DSM RFP) released in November
2008 produced several proposals that at the time the 2011 Integrated Resource Plan (2011 IRP)
was filed were still under consideration. Since that time the Company successfully implemented
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two proposals from the 2008 DSM RFP; a small business project facilitator proposal designed to
simplify and improve participation in the Company’s business programs for small business
customers, and a home energy report program (HER Program). The HER program is currently
available to select residential customers in the states of Utah and Washington16. A third proposal,
a commercial and industrial curtailment program (Class 1 load control proposal), was pursued to
the point of executing a contract but was cancelled in 2012 following preliminary 2013 IRP
modeling results, used to inform the 2012 All Source Supply-Side Request for Proposals, which
indicated the Company would not have the need for new Class 1 DSM until at least 2018.
A revised 2011 IRP Action Plan (Action Plan) was provided in January, 2012, as part of the state
acknowledgement process. A new procurement in that Action Plan called for the Company to
issue a system-wide request for proposal (excluding Oregon) for specific direct install/direct
distribution programs targeting savings from the residential and small commercial sectors,
program savings that could be delivered beginning in 2013 and help defer the need of the 2016
resource identified in the 2011 IRP. The RFP was issued in March, 2012; however, as a result of
the Company’s revised load and resource position, final evaluation of the short-listed proposals
was suspended in the third quarter of 2012, pending the outcome of the 2013 IRP’s Preferred
Portfolio and revised valuation of demand side resources (updated decrement values).
Other key procurements in 2011 and 2012 included the re-procurement of delivery for the
Company’s residential Home Energy Savings program, Utah New Homes program, refrigerator
recycling program, Idaho irrigation Energy Savers program, Utah and Wyoming Self-Direction
Credit programs, Utah and Washington energy education programs, and Utah and Idaho
irrigation load management programs17.
The Company also issued a request for proposals in December, 2012, for the re-procurement of
delivery services for Utah’s Cool Keeper air conditioner load management program.
Oregon Solar Request for Proposal
PacifiCorp secured a 2.0 MW solar photovoltaic project in 2012 located in Lakeview, Oregon as
a result of its 2010 solar RFP to meet Oregon Statute ORS 757.370 pertaining to the solar
photovoltaic generating capacity standard, which requires Oregon utilities to acquire at least 20
MW (alternating current). PacifiCorp’s share of the total is 8.7 MW. A second solar RFP is
proposed to be issued in second quarter 2013 with resources required to be on line by December
31, 2014. The RFP will seek a total of 6.7 MW to meet PacifiCorp’s remaining share of the
standard. Due to the 5.0 MW limit per project under the Statute, the Company is seeking
multiple projects through the RFP.
Natural Gas Transportation Request for Proposals
PacifiCorp issued a natural gas transportation RFP to secure firm natural gas transportation
service to its Lake Side II power plant on July 5, 2011. The request for proposals bids were
16 Home energy reports began being delivered in August, 2012, and following performance evaluations scheduled by
June 2014 may be expanded to other company jurisdictions. The Energy Trust of Oregon in collaboration with the
Company is launching a pilot in Pacific Power’s service area beginning in August, 2013. 17 The Utah and Idaho procurement included pricing for program delivery in the west, Oregon, Washington and
California, pending the resource selections results of the 2013 integrated resource plan,
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 3 – PLANNING ENVIRONMENT
53
delivered August 15, 2011. As a result of the RFP bid evaluation, Questar Gas and Questar
Pipeline Company were selected. Agreements were executed by both gas parties February 15,
2012 and submitted to the regulatory authorities for preapproval. The Questar Gas agreement
was approved June 20, 2012, by the Utah Public Service Commission. On March 13, 2013, the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued an order and certificate, approving Questar
Pipeline Company’s application, subject to a condition that Questar Pipeline Company executes
transportation agreements prior to commencing construction. The transportation agreements are
on track to be signed by May 15, 2013 to meet the construction schedule.
Natural Gas Request for Proposals
Stakeholder feedback in the hedging collaborative indicated that the Company should investigate
hedging some portion of its natural gas requirements for a term longer than the 36-month
hedging window, as natural gas prices were perceived to be historically low. In response, the
Company issued the 2012 Natural Gas RFP on May 14, 2012 for natural gas hedging and supply
products ranging from four to ten years. The market response was robust, with the Company
receiving hundreds of bids in a range of physical and financial products. The bids were analyzed
by determining expected value to customers based on the Company’s forward price and volatility
curves.
Favorable bids that were Fixed-price bids or collars with terms of six years or less were selected
for the initial shortlist. Credit cost was then determined for these bids. The final shortlist was
then created by selecting the most favorable physical and financial bids comprising four-to-six
year fixed-price bids, four-to-six year collar bids, and seven-to-ten year fixed price bids. The
final shortlists showed the most benefit for customers, and were ultimately selected for refreshed
pricing. On April 4, 2013, both bids were refreshed. The final shortlist was evaluate and was not
favorably to the Company’s forward price curves, and no deals were executed. The Company
therefore entered a six-month predefined “market-monitoring window,” during which the
Company could continue to request refreshed bids if market movements suggest it worthwhile.
Based on the experience of this RFP process, subsequent similar RFPs are expected in the future.
Natural Gas Transportation Request for Proposals
PacifiCorp will issue a natural gas transportation RFP to secure firm natural gas supply to its
Naughton Unit 3 power plant after the planned plant conversion to natural gas in April 2015. The
RFP is expected to be released in second quarter 2013. Final RFP schedule will be dependent
upon the terms and the schedule of the plant conversion.
Renewable Energy Credit (REC) Request for Proposals
PacifiCorp issued multiple REC RFPs in 2011 and 2012 for two purposes; (i) the sale of RECs in
excess of compliance needs to market and, (ii) purchase of RPS-eligible RECs to fulfill specific
short-term needs to PacifiCorp’s RPS obligation in Oregon, Washington, and California. The
REC sale RFPs are typically issued on a quarterly basis and will continue in that format for
2013. The RPS-eligible REC purchase RFPs are issued specific to address a state compliance
short.
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Renewable Energy Credit (REC) Request for Proposals – Oregon
PacifiCorp issued a request for proposal to the market in December 2012, seeking offers of
renewable energy credits from generation facilities that are certified by the Oregon Department
of Energy as eligible for the Oregon Renewable Portfolio Standard. Procurement of unbundled
RECs were completed to partially defer qualified resource additions in the future to comply with
Oregon RPS requirements.
Renewable Energy Credit (REC) Request for Proposals - Washington
PacifiCorp issued a request for proposal to the market in May 2011, seeking offers of renewable
energy credits from generation facilities that are eligible for Washington’s renewable portfolio
program (Washington Initiative 937). Procurement of unbundled RECs were completed to
comply with Washington’s renewable portfolio program requirements.
Renewable Energy Credit (REC) Request for Proposals - California
PacifiCorp issued a request for proposal to the market in May 2011, seeking offers of renewable
energy credits from generation facilities that are eligible for California’s renewable portfolio
standard.
Short-term Market Power Request for Proposals
PacifiCorp issued multiple short-term market power RFPs in 2011 and 2012 to sell power for
system balancing purposes. These RFPs are typically issued on a quarterly basis and will
continue through 2013.
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CHAPTER 4 – TRANSMISSION
CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS
PacifiCorp is obligated to plan for and meet its customers’ future needs, despite
uncertainties surrounding environmental and emissions regulations and potential
new renewable resource requirements. Regardless of future policy direction, the
Company’s planned transmission projects are well aligned to respond to changing
policy direction, comply with increasing reliability requirements while providing
sufficient flexibility to ensure investments cost-effectively and reliably meet its
customers’ future needs.
Given the long periods of time necessary to site, permit and construct major new
transmission lines, these projects need to be planned well in advance and developed
in time to meet customer need.
The Company’s transmission planning and benefits evaluation efforts adhere to
regulatory and compliance requirements and are responsive to commission and
stakeholder requests for a robust evaluation process and criteria for evaluating
transmission additions.
A System Operational and Reliability Benefits Tool (SBT) has been developed to
measure the benefits associated with transmission that are incremental to those
benefits measured by traditional IRP modeling tools.
PacifiCorp requests acknowledgment of its plan to construct the Sigurd to Red
Butte transmission project (Energy Gateway Segment G) based on the regulatory
and compliance requirements driving the project’s need and timing, and supported
by the project’s benefits as quantified using the SBT.
While construction of future Energy Gateway segments (i.e., Gateway West and
Gateway South) is beyond the scope of acknowledgement for this IRP, these
segments continue to offer benefits under multiple, future resource scenarios. Thus,
the Company believes continued permitting of these segments is warranted to
ensure it is well positioned to advance these projects as required to meet customer
need. As such, a preliminary SBT analysis summary is provided for the next major
segment of Energy Gateway, the Windstar to Populus transmission project
(Gateway West Segment D), to support the Company’s continued permitting of
Gateway West.
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Introduction
PacifiCorp’s bulk transmission network is designed to reliably transport electric energy from
generation resources (owned generation or market purchases) to various load centers. There are
several related benefits associated with a robust transmission network:
1. Reliable delivery of power to continuously changing customer demands under a wide
variety of system operating conditions.
2. Ability to supply aggregate electrical demand and energy requirements of customers at
all times, taking into account scheduled and reasonably unscheduled outages.
3. Economic exchange of electric power among all systems and industry participants.
4. Development of economically feasible generation resources in areas where it is best
suited.
5. Protection against extreme market conditions where limited transmission constrains
energy supply.
6. Ability to meet obligations and requirements of PacifiCorp’s Open Access Transmission
Tariff (OATT).
7. Increased capability and capacity to access Western energy supply markets.
PacifiCorp’s transmission network is a critical component of the IRP process and is highly
integrated with other transmission providers in the western United States. It has a long history of
reliable service in meeting the bulk transmission needs of the region. Its purpose will become
more critical in the future as energy resources become more dynamic and customer expectations
continue to grow.
Regulatory Requirements
Open Access Transmission Tariff
Consistent with the requirements of its OATT, approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission (FERC), PacifiCorp plans and builds its transmission system based on its network
customers’ 10-year load and resource (L&R) forecasts. Each year, the Company solicits L&R
data from each of its network customers in order to determine future load and resource
requirements for all transmission network customers. These customers include PacifiCorp
Energy (which serves PacifiCorp’s retail customers and comprises the bulk of the Company’s
transmission network customer needs), Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems, Utah
Municipal Power Agency, Deseret Generation & Transmission Cooperative (including Moon
Lake Electric Association), Bonneville Power Administration, Basin Electric Power
Cooperative, Black Hills Power and Light, and Western Area Power Administration.
The Company uses its customers’ L&Rs and best available information to determine project
need and investment timing. In the event that customer L&R forecasts change significantly,
PacifiCorp may consider alternative deployment scenarios and/or schedules for its project
investment as appropriate. Per FERC guidelines, the Company is able to reserve transmission
network capacity based on this 10-year forecast data. PacifiCorp’s experience, however, is that
the lengthy planning, permitting and construction timeline required for significant transmission
investments, as well as the typical useful life of these facilities, is well beyond the 10-year
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 4 – TRANSMISSION
57
timeframe of load and resource forecasts.18 A 20-year planning horizon and ability to reserve
transmission capacity to meet forecasted need over that timeframe is more consistent with the
time required to plan for and build large scale transmission projects, and PacifiCorp supports
clear regulatory acknowledgement of this reality and corresponding policy guidance.
Reliability Standards
PacifiCorp is required to meet mandatory FERC, North American Electric Reliability
Corporation (NERC) and Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) reliability
standards and planning requirements.19 The Company conducts annual system assessments to
confirm minimum levels of system performance during a wide range of operating conditions,
from serving loads with all system elements in service to extreme conditions where parts of the
system are out of service. Factored into these assessments are load growth forecasts, operating
history, seasonal performance, resource additions or removals, new transmission asset additions,
and the largest transmission and generation contingencies. Based on these analyses, the
Company identifies any potential system deficiencies and determines the infrastructure
improvements needed to reliably meet customer loads. NERC planning standards define
reliability of the interconnected bulk electric system in terms of adequacy and security.
Adequacy is the electric system’s ability to meet aggregate electrical demand for customers at all
times. Security is the electric system’s ability to withstand sudden disturbances or unanticipated
loss of system elements. Increasing transmission capacity often requires redundant facilities in
order to meet NERC reliability criteria.
IRP Feedback
In response to Commission feedback to PacifiCorp’s 2011 Integrated Resource Plan, the
Company committed to a revised action plan, which included the following action item for
transmission:
In the scenario definition phase of the IRP process, the Company will address with
stakeholders the inclusion of any transmission projects on a case-by-case basis.
Develop an evaluation process and criteria for evaluating transmission additions.
Review with stakeholders which transmission projects should be included and why.
Based on the outcome of these steps, PacifiCorp will provide appropriate transmission
segment analysis for which the Company requests acknowledgement.
PacifiCorp has since developed and discussed with stakeholders a new transmission System
Operational and Reliability Benefits Tool (SBT) for the purpose of identifying and quantifying
transmission benefits that are not captured using traditional IRP analysis tools. Traditional means
of least cost transmission planning and net power cost modeling help identify the IRP scenario
with the lowest present value revenue requirement, but have historically failed to capture the full
18 For example, PacifiCorp’s application to begin the Environmental Impact Statement process for Energy Gateway
West was filed with the Bureau of Land Management in late 2007 as of the 2013 IRP the federal permit has not been
issued. 19 FERC requirements; NERC standards; WECC standards.
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 4 – TRANSMISSION
58
range of benefits associated with additional transmission capabilities. The SBT identifies,
measures and monetizes benefits that are incremental to those identified via models used in the
IRP process.
The Company is working to improve its ability to quantify these additional transmission benefits,
both in response to the directives of FERC Order No. 1000 and to feedback received from state
regulators, customers and stakeholders. However, transmission benefit evaluation is no simple
task. There is no “off the shelf” transmission benefit calculator readily available to the Company.
Development of the SBT is a long-term objective that will continue to require adjustments based
on utility industry experience, and regulator and stakeholder input. In the near term, the SBT will
be used to help support transmission segments for which the Company is seeking regulatory
acknowledgment, which for the 2013 IRP includes the Sigurd to Red Butte transmission project.
Ultimately, this tool will be used to complement future IRP modeling efforts, compare project
options and support regulatory acknowledgment by providing a more complete picture of the
benefits of additional transmission capability.
In addition to a comprehensive overview of the SBT approach, this chapter provides:
The justification supporting acknowledgement of the Company’s plan to construct the
Sigurd to Red Butte transmission project, including the SBT-calculated benefits for the
project;
A preliminary SBT analysis for the Windstar to Populus transmission project (Energy
Gateway Segment D) supporting the Company’s plan to continue permitting Gateway
West;
Key background information on the evolution of the Energy Gateway Transmission
Expansion Plan; and
An overview of how the Company’s investments in short-term system improvements
have helped to maximize efficient use of the existing system and to defer the need for
larger scale infrastructure investment.
System Operational and Reliability Benefits Tool
Background
Federal and state regulators, customers and stakeholders alike have expressed a need for
improved methods of measuring transmission benefits and identifying beneficiaries. The
traditional IRP System Optimizer and Planning and Risk models identify the IRP scenario with
the lowest present value revenue requirement from an energy delivery view, but these models are
not intended to capture a broader range of “day to day” operational and reliability benefits
provided by transmission. A different approach is required to identify and quantify the benefits
not captured by these traditional tools, and to better inform the Company’s transmission planning
process in the context of integrated resource planning.
While there is no “off the shelf” transmission benefit calculator to use, there are various
approaches used by other transmission planning entities that are informative. PacifiCorp, both
independently and as part of the Northern Tier Transmission Group’s FERC Order No. 1000
compliance effort, looked to other regional transmission planning groups to understand how
various metrics are used to evaluate transmission project benefits, impacts to existing
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 4 – TRANSMISSION
59
transmission systems and customer benefits. These groups include the Southwest Power Pool,
California Independent System Operator (ISO), Midwest ISO, New York ISO, ISO New
England, PJM Interconnection, and Georgia Power. By no means have these groups perfected
the measurement of transmission benefits, nor is there a “one size fits all” approach for assessing
these benefits, but their efforts are several years in the making and, through their own
stakeholder processes, they have developed and vetted several common metrics that were
considered as part of PacifiCorp’s efforts to develop a tool to measure transmission project
benefits.
Informed by these approaches, PacifiCorp has developed the SBT to help quantify the
operational and reliability benefits directly associated with new transmission projects and their
integration into the existing transmission system. The metrics that comprise the SBT will
continue to improve and evolve over time, with stakeholder input and through utility industry
experience.
Provided below is a description of the SBT metrics the Company is working with initially, plus
the SBT-calculated benefits for the Sigurd to Red Butte transmission project, for which the
Company is seeking acknowledgment in this IRP.
Benefits Evaluated
Each transmission project has its own unique set of objectives, physical characteristics and
benefits, and therefore may require a unique set of metrics for evaluation. A larger, more
complex project may involve more metrics—or derive higher values from the same metrics—
than a smaller, less complex project. For example, not all of the metrics described below derive
benefit values for the Sigurd to Red Butte transmission project, whereas they may derive values
for other Energy Gateway segments.
Operational Cost Savings (economic driven)
Where the IRP model topology can evaluate the specific transmission project, results from the
IRP modeling process may be used to determine economic benefits (i.e. net power cost savings)
of new transmission. However, in situations where the IRP model topology cannot recognize the
project due to granularity limitations, a system production cost modeling program, with detailed
system topology and assumptions, may be relied upon to determine the economic benefits of the
specific transmission project. Alternatively, where operational cost savings are not derived
specifically from production cost benefits, this metric may be used to compare operational cost
savings of potential solutions. For the Sigurd to Red Butte project, the IRP model topology did
not recognize the project which exists within a single IRP topology load bubble. For example,
potential alternatives identified could include the addition of a new generation resource, the
purchase of firm energy and wheeling costs or an alternative transmission project.
It is important to note that benefits will only be included as part of the SBT analysis to the extent
they are incremental and not already captured in the production cost benefits identified through
the IRP modeling process. The purpose of the SBT is to identify and measure transmission
benefits not already captured via the IRP modeling—i.e., no duplication of benefits.
Segment Loss Savings (energy and capacity)
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60
Energy – The addition of a new transmission line operated in parallel with an existing line(s)
reduces the electrical impedance of the transmission system, resulting in lower energy line losses
(megawatt-hours) over the life of the project. Depending on the amount of power flow, line loss
savings can be substantial. Losses for any transmission line are determined according to the
formula I2R (where I is the current flow and R is resistance). To calculate current (I), megavolt
amperes are divided by (√3 x voltage). Since the predominant flow on the Company’s
transmission lines is real power (megawatts), the difference when calculating current is small
between megawatts (MW) and megavolt amperes (MVA). Hence, megawatt flow can be used
rather than megavolt amperes as a close approximation. Factors such as line length and
conductor type, material and size determine change in system impedance. The electrical
impedance of parallel lines is determined by calculating an equivalent resistance (Requivalent)
before and after a transmission project is placed in service.
In the SBT analysis, the Company’s assessment of energy line losses is based on actual power
flow (megawatts) as a proxy for a typical year, with line flow increasing in future years as
determined by network customers’ load forecast submittals. Line losses are compared before and
after the addition of new transmission and are calculated between the connection points, with the
difference being the loss savings attributed to the new line(s). A forward energy price curve is
used to monetize the value of line loss energy savings as an avoided market purchase of energy
and the present value of the annual savings is then calculated.
Capacity – Lower line segment losses reduce the overall system demand and the amount of
generation capacity needed to meet that demand, thereby reducing the need for new incremental
generation. To determine generation capacity related savings due to reduced line segment losses,
average demand savings (megawatts) are calculated for a segment using system peak flow data
from previous years. To monetize these savings, the base capital cost of a combined cycle gas
generating plant ($1,026 per installed megawatt)20 is multiplied by the capacity value
(megawatts) of the line loss savings and the present value of the annual savings is then
calculated.
System Reliability Benefits
The SBT calculates system reliability benefits gained by adding new transmission between
points in the existing system. The addition of new transmission results in new incremental
capacity, but also results in improved performance of the existing system. These performance
benefits are derived using Company historical transmission line outage data, for both scheduled
and unscheduled line outages, and then determining the improved system performance with the
new segment(s) in service during outages of a single transmission line (N-1) or multiple
transmission lines (N-1-1). Benefits are measured as:
Avoidance of transmission system capacity reductions or “derates”
To calculate this benefit, the impact to the transmission system capacity—or “derate”—is
evaluated for each line outage. These figures are then compared to the system capability
with the new line segment(s) in service. The difference between capacities (megawatts) is
the “derate” benefit.
20 Cost from PacifiCorp’s 2013 Integrated Resource Plan.
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61
Reductions in forced generator outages caused by transmission outages or limitations
Reductions in forced generator outages is calculated using the same methodology used to
calculate the “derate” benefit, but the analysis instead looks at the impacts on affected
generation resources. The amount of generation that is reduced due to transmission
system capacity limitations is determined with and without the new segment(s) in service.
The impacts from transmission capacity reductions and the reductions in forced generator
outages are then compared. To avoid double counting, only the highest megawatt value
between the two impacts is selected for valuation. This megawatt value is priced using
historical line outage data and a weighted average yearly price comprised of light-load
and heavy-load hours using a suitable forward price curve. The present value is then
determined. For calculation of multiple line outages, it is assumed that it takes a fixed
amount of time—based on historical information—to restore affected generation. Since it
is impossible to determine the exact time of day when an outage will occur, the megawatt
value for multiple line outages is priced using the weighted heavy-load and light-load
hour average of the entire forward price curve. This value is then multiplied by the
probability of the outage and the present value is then determined.
Reduced exposure to loss of firm customer load, based on calculation of avoided loss of
retail revenue from customers during system outages.
The system is evaluated with the new segment(s) in service and compared against the
existing system. If the configuration with the new segment(s) enables load service that
would otherwise be lost during outage conditions, this difference is the reduction in risk
to customer load loss. For multiple outages (N-1-1), the probability of such an occurrence
is utilized and load is assumed to be lost for two hours for each outage occurrence. The
value is developed by multiplying the loss in customer demand by the probability of the
outage condition by the Company’s average Retail Energy Rate (dollars per kWh) for the
state where the new transmission segment is placed in service. Based on this, the present
value is determined.
The system performance criteria used by the Company are specified in the mandatory FERC,
NERC and WECC Transmission System Planning Standards and Performance Criteria.
Customer and Regulatory Benefits
As growing demand depletes excess transmission capacity, the likelihood of impacting large
industrial or commercial customers increases due to a need to curtail load to maintain a safe and
reliable operating system under certain, abnormal conditions. Such circumstances can result in
lost retail sales of energy, lost sales for retail customers, equipment damage, lost product, and
potentially a negative economic development value for areas impacted by poor transmission
system reliability. In addition, the regulatory costs following a significant outage and the
resulting investigation and remediation costs can be quantified. The risk of such circumstances
can be significantly reduced with new transmission capacity that supports customer load growth
across the operating system.
Avoided Capital Cost
This metric considers capital investment that may be avoided by a transmission alternative,
where the addition of a new transmission project resolves underlying issues identified by
planning studies. In such a case, the transmission project avoids underlying upgrades for load
service or reliability needs and SBT factors in the one-time capital investment as an avoided cost
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 4 – TRANSMISSION
62
benefit of those projects displaced or deferred. The avoided cost of replaced or deferred
investments is a commonly used metric in transmission benefit analysis.
Improved Generation Dispatch (reliability driven)
Without adequate transmission capacity, the system may not be able to fully utilize generation
resources in constrained areas. As a result of this congestion, the Company may be unable to
dispatch the most economic resources to meet customer needs, increasing costs to customers.
New transmission infrastructure can alleviate these conditions and improve overall generation
dispatch to meet system load and reliability requirements. Additionally, the same generation
resources that are constrained by transmission limitations can also provide capacity benefits that
may be used for system reserves through the addition of transmission capability. The SBT
calculates the value of generation that may be online but not at full output and could otherwise
be dispatched up to full nameplate capacity for reserves purposes when new segment(s) reduce
or eliminate transmission congestion. The benefits associated with increased access to existing,
dispatchable generation for reserves is calculated as the difference between the minimum unit
operating limit and the amount of increased transmission capacity provided by the new
segment(s) up to the maximum output of each unit. The benefit value of this generation is based
on the reduced need for incremental new generation at the cost of acquiring generation or market
purchases, whichever is lower.
Wheeling Revenue Opportunity
Transmission services sold to system users provides a wheeling revenue benefit derived from
selling new incremental transmission capacity. The SBT reviews new incremental transmission
capacity for each segment or sub-segment analyzed and identifies the value of this new capacity.
The present value of the benefit attributable to wheeling revenue for each of the segments or sub-
segments is based on PacifiCorp’s long-term point-to-point wheeling charge (Schedules 7, 1 and
221) and the new transfer capability (megawatts) not otherwise captured in the Operational Cost
Savings. Incremental system capacity for each segment or sub-segment is determined by
comparing the initial path transfer capability with the improved path capacity after adding the
new segment(s). In cases where the available capacity has not been fully subscribed by point-to-
point users, this benefit is referred to as a wheeling revenue “opportunity.”
Request for Acknowledgement of Sigurd to Red Butte
The Sigurd to Red Butte transmission project is required to satisfy the Company’s federal
regulatory obligations to its network transmission customers under its OATT and comply with
the mandatory FERC, NERC and WECC reliability standards. In addition, consistent with the
Company’s commitment described at the beginning of this chapter, PacifiCorp has developed—
in consultation with other transmission providers, transmission planning regions, and
stakeholders—a SBT for evaluating the benefits of transmission projects for which the Company
seeks regulatory acknowledgment. The SBT helps identify and quantify those transmission
benefits not recognized using traditional IRP analysis tools, capturing the full range of benefits
associated with additional transmission. Using this tool, the Company has calculated at least
$645 million in benefits associated with the Sigurd to Red Butte transmission project, and a 1.64
benefit-to-cost ratio. In March 2013, PacifiCorp obtained a certificate of public convenience and
21 At a minimum, these rate schedules would be applicable to purchasers of long-term point-to-point transmission
service.
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 4 – TRANSMISSION
63
necessity authorizing construction of the Sigurd to Red Butte transmission line from the Utah
Public Service Commission. To meet regulatory reliability requirements, with demonstration of
project need and showing of project benefits, the Company requests regulatory
acknowledgement of the Sigurd to Red Butte transmission project.
Factors Supporting Acknowledgement
The key drivers supporting PacifiCorp’s request for acknowledgement of the Sigurd to Red Butte
transmission project include meeting its obligations to its network transmission customers
consistent with its OATT, complying with mandatory FERC, NERC and WECC reliability
standards and the positive cost benefit analysis of this project compared to other alternatives.
Improved Transmission System Capacity
The full-rated capacity of the southwest Utah transmission system, including the existing Sigurd
to Three Peaks to Red Butte No. 1 – 345 kV transmission line, cannot currently provide adequate
service under all expected operating conditions and customer demands. The existing Sigurd to
Red Butte transmission line represents the sole connection to a major southwest Utah load area,
with customer designated generation sources to this critical load isolated during line outage
events. Load growth in southwestern Utah continues, and is forecasted to continue, surpassing
the capability of the existing transmission system. New facilities must be constructed to provide
reliable capacity for load service. Without the Sigurd to Red Butte transmission project, peak
load in southwestern Utah cannot be reliably served during transmission line outages or major
equipment contingencies. The Sigurd to Red Butte transmission project also supports future
electrical load growth in southwestern Utah and improves the ability of the Company’s
transmission system to transport energy into southwest and central Utah and to high growth areas
along the Wasatch Front of Salt Lake City.
Enhanced Transfer Capability to Promote Energy Transfers
Under its OATT, the Company has transmission service contract obligations for firm
transmission service into and out of southwestern Utah. Indeed, the OATT obligates the
Company to provide adequate and non-discriminatory network transmission service for delivery
of network generation to loads. The current system supports up to 400 MW of firm energy
transfers (bi-directional) between southwestern Utah and Nevada. The Company has contractual
commitments and future load service requirements that cannot reliably be delivered via the
transmission system existing in the area today. To meet these transfer obligations, the Company
must increase the total capacity between the existing Sigurd and Red Butte substations.
Following completion of the Sigurd to Red Butte project, the transfer capacity of the existing
system between Utah and Nevada will increase by an additional 200 MW. This additional
transmission capacity can be purchased by the Company to make off-system sales during periods
when surplus energy exists, or can be purchased for use by third parties. The Sigurd to Red Butte
transmission project will enable the Company to continue to meet its OATT obligations, as well
as its contractual service obligations to PacifiCorp Energy, Utah Associated Municipal Power
Systems, Utah Municipal Power Association, and Deseret Generation & Transmission Co-
operative, Inc. The added transfer capacity is vital to the Company’s continued ability to provide
reliable service to these entities in the future.
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 4 – TRANSMISSION
64
Improved Transmission System Reliability
In addition to increasing system capacity, the Sigurd to Red Butte transmission project will
provide needed redundancy to the existing infrastructure and substantially improve the
Company’s ability to provide reliable electric service to its customers in compliance with
mandatory FERC, NERC and WECC reliability standards. These standards require that
transmission providers evaluate all expected customer demand levels and operating conditions,
and plan for adequate redundancy in their systems in order to maintain required system
reliability and performance levels. It is the responsibility of the Company as the transmission
provider to utilize operational history and experience to plan, design, site and construct
transmission projects as required to meet system performance requirements and manage
reliability, risks, and costs. Without the Sigurd to Red Butte transmission project, peak loads in
southwestern Utah will not be reliably served and transmission service contract obligations will
not be met. The Sigurd to Red Butte transmission project has been designed in a manner that
meets the Company’s system planning criteria (developed in compliance with mandatory FERC,
NERC and WECC standards and criteria, and based on the Company’s operational history and
experience), substantially improving the Company’s ability to provide reliable electric service to
its customers long term and enhancing the reliability and capacity of the existing transmission
system.
Sigurd to Red Butte Cost Benefit Analysis
The SBT metrics quantify the transmission benefits that are otherwise not captured within the
existing IRP analysis. As applied to the Sigurd to Red Butte transmission project, for which the
Company is seeking acknowledgement in this IRP, the SBT derived the following benefits and
benefit-to-cost ratio.
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 4 – TRANSMISSION
65
Table 4.1 – SBT-Derived Values for Sigurd to Red Butte
* * * * * * * * * SBT-Derived values for Sigurd to Red Butte * * * * * * * * *
$645 million over 2015-2034 period, 1.64 benefit-cost ratio
Operational Cost Savings
Energy (option at 25% of total) ................................ $470 million
Third-party wheeling ................................................ $104 million
Segment Loss Savings22
Energy ....................................................................... $55.5 million
Capacity .................................................................... $14.9 million
System Reliability Benefits
N-1 load curtailment (load over 580 MW) ............... $1 million
Customer and Regulatory Benefits ....................................... TBD
Wheeling Revenue Opportunity:
ATC firm southbound ............................................... $57 million
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
(minus Wheeling Revenue Opportunity)
23
NOTE: See excel spreadsheet for detailed Sigurd to Red Butte SBT assumptions and calculations24
Gateway West – Continued Permitting
The Windstar to Populus transmission project (Energy Gateway Segment D) is the first of two
planned segments of Gateway West. Given the delays experienced in the permitting process, the
current project schedule for Windstar to Populus shows a delay of the in-service date to
December 31, 2019. In a future IRP, the Company will support a request for acknowledgement
to construct Windstar to Populus with a thorough cost-benefit analysis for the project, similar to
that provided in this IRP for the Sigurd to Red Butte transmission project. While the Company is
22 All present value calculations for Sigurd to Red Butte line losses are based on a 20-year time horizon starting in
2015, using a 6.88% discount rate, which was PacifiCorp’s weighted average cost of capital at the time the analysis
was undertaken. 23 Includes fully loaded capital and related operations and maintenance costs on a 20-year time horizon starting in
2015, discounted at 6.88%. 24 “System Benefit Tool for Sigurd to Red Butte Transmission Line (Segment G)”
http://www.pacificorp.com/content/dam/pacificorp/doc/Energy_Sources/Integrated_Resource_Plan/2013IRP/PacTra
ns_SigurdToRedButte-SBT_4-30-13.xlsx
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 4 – TRANSMISSION
66
not requesting acknowledgement in this IRP of a plan to construct the Windstar to Populus
project, the Company will continue to permit the project, and provides below a preliminary SBT
analysis summary that demonstrates significant project benefits to support this plan.
Windstar to Populus
The Windstar to Populus transmission project consists of three key sections:
A single-circuit 230 kilovolt (kV) line that
will run approximately 75 miles between the
existing Windstar substation in eastern
Wyoming and the Aeolus substation to be
constructed near Medicine Bow, Wyoming;
A single-circuit 500 kV line running
approximately 140 miles from the Aeolus
substation to a new annex substation near the
existing Bridger substation in western
Wyoming; and
A single-circuit 500 kV line running approximately 200 miles between the new annex
substation and the recently constructed Populus substation in southeast Idaho.
The project would enable the Company to more efficiently dispatch system resources, improve
performance of the transmission system (i.e. reduced line losses), improve reliability, and enable
access to a diverse range of new resource alternatives over the long-term.
Preliminary SBT Analysis – Windstar to Populus (Segment D)
The SBT metrics quantify the transmission benefits that are otherwise not captured within the
existing IRP analysis. The footnoted excel spreadsheet provides for a detailed view of the project
benefits, including operational savings as measured by the System Optimizer model25.
The following metrics were determined to apply to Segment D and were analyzed to determine
possible benefits associated with each:
25 “System Benefit Tool for Preferred Portfolio Case 07 Energy Gateway Scenario 2 (Segment D)”
http://www.pacificorp.com/content/dam/pacificorp/doc/Energy_Sources/Integrated_Resource_Plan/2013IRP/2013I
RP_System-Benefits-Tool-C07_4-23-13.xlsx
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 4 – TRANSMISSION
67
Table 4.2 – Windstar to Populus Benefits Calculation
Benefits Calculation
Case EG2-
C07
Total Benefits ($m)
($m)
Net Benefit ($m, 2012$)
Plan to Continue Permitting Gateway West
The Windstar to Populus transmission project continues to offer benefits under multiple, future
resource scenarios. To ensure the Company is well positioned to advance the project as required
to meet customer need, PacifiCorp believes it is prudent to continue to permit the Gateway West
transmission project.
Evolution of the Energy Gateway Transmission Expansion Plan
Introduction
Given the long periods of time necessary to successfully site, permit and construct major new
transmission lines, these projects need to be planned and developed in time to meet customer
need. The Energy Gateway Transmission Expansion Plan is the result of several robust local and
regional transmission planning efforts that are ongoing and have been conducted multiple times
over a period of several years. The purpose of this section is to provide important background
information on the transmission planning efforts that led to the Company’s proposal of the
Energy Gateway Transmission Expansion Plan.
Background
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 4 – TRANSMISSION
68
Until the Company’s announcement of Energy Gateway in 2007, its transmission planning
efforts traditionally centered around the generation additions identified in the IRP. As the figure
here shows, the generation resources
in the Company’s preferred
portfolio have historically fluctuated
significantly from one IRP to the
next. With timelines of seven to ten
years or more required to site,
permit, and build transmission, this
traditional planning approach was
proven problematic, leading to a
perpetual state of transmission
planning and new transmission
capacity not being available in time
to be viable transmission resource
options for meeting customer need.
The existing transmission system
has been at capacity for several
years and new capability is
necessary to enable new resource development.
The Energy Gateway Transmission Expansion Plan, formally announced in May 2007, has
origins in numerous local and regional transmission planning efforts discussed further below.
Energy Gateway was designed to ensure a reliable, adequate system capable of meeting current
and future customer needs. Importantly, given the changing resource picture, its design supports
multiple future resource scenarios by connecting resource-rich areas and major load centers
across the Company’s multi-state service area. Energy Gateway has since been included in all
relevant local, regional and interconnection-wide transmission studies.
Planning Initiatives
Energy Gateway is the result of robust local and regional transmission planning efforts. The
Company has participated in numerous transmission planning initiatives, both leading up to and
since Energy Gateway’s announcement. Stakeholder involvement has played an important role
in each of these initiatives, including participation from state and federal regulators, government
agencies, private and public energy providers, independent developers, consumer advocates,
renewable energy groups, policy think tanks, environmental groups, and elected officials. These
studies have shown a critical need to alleviate transmission congestion and move constrained
energy resources to regional load centers throughout the West, and include:
Northwest Transmission Assessment Committee (NTAC)
The NTAC was the sub-regional transmission planning group representing the Northwest
region, preceding Northern Tier Transmission Group and ColumbiaGrid. The NTAC
developed long term transmission options for resources located within the provinces of
British Columbia and Alberta, and the states of Montana, Washington and Oregon to
serve Northwest loads and Northern California.
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
May-07 May-09 March-11 2012 Bus
Plan
DSM
Wind
Coal
CCCT
Short term
(avg/yr)
Me
g
a
w
a
t
t
s
Resource Portfolio Variation
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 4 – TRANSMISSION
69
Rocky Mountain Area Transmission Study26
Recommended transmission expansions
overlap significantly with Energy Gateway
configuration, including:
o Bridger system expansion similar to
Gateway West
o Southeast Idaho to Southwest Utah
expansion akin to Gateway Central
and Sigurd-Red Butte
o Improved East-West connectivity
similar to Energy Gateway Segment
H alternatives
Western Governors’ Association Transmission Task Force Report27
Examined the transmission needed to
deliver the largely remote generation
resources contemplated by the Clean and
Diversified Energy Advisory Committee.
This effort built upon the transmission
previously modeled by the Seams Steering
Group-Western Interconnection, and
included transmission necessary to support a
range of resource scenarios, including high
efficiency, high renewables and high coal
scenarios. Again, for PacifiCorp’s system,
the transmission expansion that supported
these scenarios closely resembled Energy Gateway’s configuration.
Western Regional Transmission Expansion Partnership (WRTEP)
The WRTEP was a group of six utilities working with four western governors' offices to
evaluate the proposed Frontier Transmission Line. The Frontier Line was proposed to
connect California and Nevada to Wyoming's Powder River Basin through Utah. The
utilities involved were PacifiCorp, Nevada Power, Pacific Gas & Electric, San Diego Gas
& Electric, Southern California Edison, and Sierra Pacific Power.
Northern Tier Transmission Group Transmission Planning Reports
o 2007 Fast Track Project Process and
Annual Planning Report28
o 2008-2009 Transmission Plan29
o 2010-2011 Transmission Plan30
Each Energy Gateway segment was included
in the 2007 Fast Track Project Process and
26 http://psc.state.wy.us/rmats/rmats.htm 27 http://www.westgov.org/index.php?option=com_joomdoc&task=doc_download&gid=97&Itemid 28 http://nttg.biz/site/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=353&Itemid=31 29 http://nttg.biz/site/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=1020&Itemid=31 30 http://nttg.biz/site/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=1437&Itemid=31
“The analyses presented in this
Report suggest that well-
considered transmission
greater access to lower cost
natural gas prices.”
“The Task Force o
transmission investments
typically continue to provide
value even as network
the site of a now obsolete
power plant continues to be
location.”
“The Fast Track Project Process
was used in 2007 to identify
projects needed for reliability and
to meet Transmission Service
Requests.”
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 4 – TRANSMISSION
70
has since been reevaluated as part of each Northern Tier Transmission Group biennial
planning process. These are open, stakeholder processes.
WECC/TEPPC Annual Reports and Western Interconnection Transmission Path
Utilization Studies 31
These analyses measure the historical
utilization of transmission paths in the West
to provide insight into where congestion is
occurring and assess the cost of that
congestion. The Energy Gateway segments
have been included in the analyses that
support these studies, alleviating several
points of significant congestion on the
system, including Path 19 (Bridger West) and Path 20 (Path C).
Energy Gateway Configuration
For addressing constraints identified on PacifiCorp’s system, as well as meeting system
reliability requirements discussed further below, the recommended bulk electric transmission
additions took on a consistent footprint, which is now known as Energy Gateway. This
expansion plan establishes a triangle over Utah, Idaho and Wyoming with paths extending into
Oregon and Washington, and contemplates logical resource locations for the long-term based on
environmental constraints, economic generation resources, and federal and state energy policies.
Since Energy Gateway’s announcement, this series of projects has continued to be vetted
through multiple public transmission planning forums at the local, regional and interconnection-
wide levels. In accordance with the local planning requirements in PacifiCorp’s federal OATT,
Attachment K, the Company
has conducted numerous
public meetings on Energy
Gateway and transmission
planning in general.
Meeting notices and
materials
are posted publicly on
PacifiCorp’s Attachment K
Open Access Same-time
Information System
(OASIS)
site. PacifiCorp is also a
member of the Northern Tier
Transmission Group
(NTTG) and
WECC’s Transmission
Expansion Policy and
Planning Committee
31 http://www.wecc.biz/committees/BOD/TEPPC/External/Forms/external.aspx
“Path 19 [Bridger] is the most
heavily loaded WECC path in the
study… Usage on this path is
currently of interest due to the
high number of requests for
transmission service to move
from the Wyoming area.”
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 4 – TRANSMISSION
71
(TEPPC).
These groups continually evaluate PacifiCorp’s transmission plan in their efforts to develop and
refine the optimal regional and interconnection-wide plans. Please refer to PacifiCorp’s OASIS
site for information and materials related to these public processes.32
Additionally, the Project Teams conducted an extensive 18-month stakeholder process on
Gateway West and Gateway South. This stakeholder process was conducted in accordance with
WECC Regional Planning Project Review guidelines and FERC OATT planning principles, and
was used to establish need, assess benefits to the region, vet alternatives and eliminate
duplication of projects. Meeting materials and related reports can be found on PacifiCorp’s
Energy Gateway OASIS site.
Energy Gateway’s Continued Evolution
The Energy Gateway Transmission Expansion Plan is the result of years of ongoing local and
regional transmission planning efforts with significant customer and stakeholder involvement.
Since its announcement in May 2007, Energy Gateway’s scope and scale have continued to
evolve to meet the future needs of PacifiCorp customers and the requirements of mandatory
transmission planning standards and criteria. Additionally, the Company has improved its ability
to meet near-term customer needs through a limited number of smaller-scale investments that
maximize efficient use of the current system and help defer, to some degree, the need for larger
capital investments like Energy Gateway (see the following section on Efforts to Maximize
Existing System Capability). The IRP process, as compared to transmission planning, is a
frequently changing resource planning process that does not support the longer-term
development needs of transmission, or the ability to implement transmission in time to meet
customer need. Together, however, the IRP and transmission planning processes complement
each other by helping the Company optimize the timing of its transmission and resource
investments for meeting customer needs.
While the core principles for Energy Gateway’s design have not changed, the project
configuration and timing continue to be reviewed and modified to coincide with the latest
mandatory transmission system reliability standards and performance requirements, annual
system reliability assessments, input from several years of federal and state permitting processes,
and changes in generation resource planning and our customers’ forecasted demand for energy.
As originally announced in May 2007, Energy Gateway consisted of a combination of single-
and double-circuit 230 kV, 345 kV and 500 kV lines connecting Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Oregon
and Nevada. In response to regulatory and industry input regarding potential regional benefits of
“upsizing” the project capacity (e.g. maximized use of energy corridors, reduced environmental
impacts and improved economies of scale), the Company included in its original plan the
potential for doubling the project’s capacity to accommodate third-party and equity partnership
interests. During late 2007 and early 2008, PacifiCorp received in excess of 6,000 MW of
requests for incremental transmission service across the Energy Gateway footprint, which
supported the upsized configuration. The Company identified the costs required for this upsized
system and offered transmission service contracts to queue customers. These customers,
32 http://www.oatioasis.com/ppw/index.html
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 4 – TRANSMISSION
72
however, were unable to commit due to the upfront costs and lack of firm contracts with
customers to take delivery of future generation, and withdrew their requests. In parallel,
PacifiCorp pursued several potential partnerships with other transmission developers and entities
with transmission proposals in the Intermountain Region. Due to the significant upfront costs
inherent in transmission investments, firm partnership commitments also failed to materialize,
leading the Company to pursue the current configuration with the intent of only developing
system capacity sufficient to meet the long-term needs of its customers.
In 2010, the Company entered into memorandums of understanding (MOU) to explore potential
joint-development opportunities with Idaho Power on its Boardman to Hemingway project and
with Portland General Electric (PGE) on its Cascade Crossing project. One of the key purposes
of Energy Gateway is to better integrate the Company’s East and West control areas, and
Gateway Segment H from western Idaho into southern Oregon was originally proposed to satisfy
this need. However, recognizing the potential mutual benefits and value for customers of jointly
developing transmission, PacifiCorp has pursued these potential partnership opportunities as a
lower cost alternative.
In 2011, the Company announced the indefinite postponement of the 500 kV Gateway South
segment between the Mona substation in central Utah and Crystal substation in Nevada. This
extension of Gateway South, like the double-circuit configuration discussed above, was a
component of the upsized system to address regional needs if supported by queue customers or
partnerships. However, despite significant third-party interest in the Gateway South segment to
Nevada, there was a lack of financial commitment needed to support the upsized configuration.
In 2012, the Company determined, due to experience with land use limitations and National
Environmental Policy Act permitting requirements, that one new 230 kV line between the
Windstar and Aeolus substations and a rebuild of the existing 230 kV line was feasible, and that
the second new proposed 230 kV line planned between Windstar and Aeolus would be
eliminated. This decision resulted from the Company’s ongoing focus on meeting customer
needs, taking stakeholder feedback and land use limitations into consideration, and finding the
best balance between cost and risk for customers. In January 2012 the Company signed the
Boardman to Hemingway Permitting Agreement with Idaho Power and Bonneville Power
Administration that provides for the Company’s participation through the permitting phase of the
project.
In January 2013, the Company began discussions with PGE regarding changes to its Cascade
Crossing transmission project and potential opportunities for joint-development and/or firm
capacity rights into PacifiCorp’s Oregon system. PacifiCorp continues to pursue potential
partnership opportunities with PGE on Cascade Crossing and with Idaho Power and Bonneville
Power Administration on the Boardman to Hemingway project as an alternative to PacifiCorp’s
originally proposed transmission segment from eastern Idaho into southern Oregon (Hemingway
to Captain Jack).
Finally, the timing of segments is regularly assessed and adjusted. While permitting delays have
played a significant role in the adjusted timing of some segments (e.g., Gateway West and
Gateway South), the Company has been proactive in deferring in-service dates due to permitting
schedules, moderated load growth, changing customer needs, and system reliability
improvements discussed below (e.g., Sigurd-Red Butte and Oquirrh-Terminal).
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 4 – TRANSMISSION
73
The Company will continue to adjust the timing and configuration of its proposed transmission
investments based on its ongoing assessment of the system’s ability to meet customer needs and
its compliance with mandatory reliability standards.
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 4 – TRANSMISSION
74
Figure 4.1 – Energy Gateway Transmission Expansion Plan
This map is for general reference only and reflects current plans.
It may not reflect the final routes, construction sequence or exact line configuration.
Segment & Name Description
Approximate
Mileage Status33 and Scheduled In-Service
(A)
Wallula-McNary 230 kV, single circuit 30 mi Status: local permitting completed
Scheduled in-service: 2013-2014*
(B)
Populus-Terminal 345 kV, double circuit 135 mi Status: completed
Placed in-service November 2010
(C)
Mona-Oquirrh
500 kV single circuit
345 kV double circuit 100 mi Status: construction nearing completion
Scheduled in-service: May 2013
Oquirrh-Terminal 345 kV double circuit 14 mi Status: rights-of-way acquisition underway
Scheduled in-service: June 2016*
(D)
Windstar-Populus
230 kV single circuit
500 kV single circuit 400 mi Status: permitting underway
Scheduled in-service: 2019-2021*
(E)
Populus-Hemingway 500 kV single circuit 600 mi Status: permitting underway
Scheduled in-service: 2020-2023*
(F)
Aeolus-Mona 500 kV single circuit 400 mi Status: permitting underway
Scheduled in-service: 2020-2022*
(G)
Sigurd-Red Butte 345 kV single circuit 170 mi Status: construction started April 2013
Scheduled in-service: June 2015
(H)
West of Hemingway 500 kV single circuit 500 mi
Status: pursuing joint-development and/or firm
capacity opportunities with project sponsors
Scheduled in-service: sponsor driven
* Scheduled in-service date adjusted since last IRP Update.
33 Status as of the filing of this IRP.
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 4 – TRANSMISSION
75
Efforts to Maximize Existing System Capability
The system analyses described above continue to confirm the need for the Energy Gateway
projects, but have also been used to identify short-term improvements throughout the Company’s
system that have helped maximize efficient use of the existing system and defer the need for
larger scale infrastructure investment. Over the past 20 to 30 years, limited new transmission
capacity has been added to the system. Instead, PacifiCorp has maintained system reliability and
maximized system efficiency through these smaller-scale, incremental projects.
System-wide, the Company has instituted more than 120 grid operating procedures and 17
special protection schemes to maximize the existing system capability while managing system
risk. Since 2008, the Company has upgraded or rebuilt over 140 miles of existing Wyoming 230
kV transmission lines to achieve new capacity, relocated and reused more than 800 MVA of
existing transformers, upgraded three major series capacitors to increase capacity, and obtained
WECC approval of four major path rating upgrades. PacifiCorp recently installed equipment that
will allow real time dynamic line ratings on a critical 230 kV path in Wyoming (pending WECC
approval). This equipment will allow the maximum capability of the conductor, or winter rating,
to be used during periods of moderate temperature in summer months, as a way to maximize
capability of the existing system. Other transmission system improvements include:
Southern Utah:
o Installed 345 kV series capacitor at Pinto substation;
o Installed shunt capacitors at Pinto and Red Butte substations;
o Installed static var compensator at Red Butte substation;
o Installed second 230/345 kV transformer at Harry Allen substation in Las Vegas,
Nevada.
These investments, together, helped maximize the existing system’s
capability, improved the Company’s ability to serve growing customer
loads, increased transfer capacity across WECC Paths TOT2B1 (Four
Corners to Pinto, Glen Canyon to Sigurd) and TOT2C (Harry Allen to Red
Butte), and reduced the risk of voltage collapse following the loss of one
of the two 345 kV lines serving the Red Butte area. Specifically, these
benefits include the upgrade of Path TOT2C by 300 MW, the
simultaneous operation of Paths TOT2C and TOT2B1 to approved limits,
and elimination of a Path TOT2B1 de-rate with growing load in southern
Utah.
Wyoming
o Reconductored over 66 miles of 230 kV line between Windstar, Dave Johnston
and Casper;
o Installed shunt capacitors at Riverton, Midwest and Atlantic City substations;
o Replaced components of the Jim Bridger transmission system Remedial Action
Scheme (RAS);
o Upgraded the series capacitor at the Borah substation and the switches in the
Borah and Kinport substations;
o Installed a dynamic line rating system on the Miners to Platte 230 kV line;
o Installed a phase shifting transformer at the Monument substation.
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 4 – TRANSMISSION
76
These investments improved reliability and helped maximize the
transmission system’s capabilities, providing numerous system and
customer benefits:
Maximized transfer capability between Windstar, Dave Johnston
and Casper substations during all seasons;
Improved the Company’s ability to move Wyoming resources to
PacifiCorp’s customer loads;
Increased transfer capacity of Paths TOT4A (south and west of
Casper and Dave Johnston) and TOT4B (north and west of Casper
and Dave Johnston), which otherwise would have been
downgraded, requiring curtailment of generation in Wyoming;
Increased Bridger West path rating from 2200 MW to 2400 MW,
allowing integration of new resources and improved ability to
serve large-customer load growth in Wyoming;
Reduced risk of customer impact during peak-condition operation
of Jim Bridger generator;
Eliminated line overload conditions and generating plant output
reductions.
Idaho
o Installed two 230 kV capacitor banks at the Meridian substation located in
Oregon which supports an increased eastbound line rating on the Summer Lake to
Hemingway line from 400 MW to 550 MW.
This investment supports load growth and the ability to move additional
resources and reserves from PacifiCorp’s western control area to its
eastern control area, supporting reliability and load service.
Oregon/Washington/California
o Participated with BPA in a number of upgrades to the California-Oregon Intertie
(COI), including two new series capacitor banks at Bakeoven substation; 500 kV
capacitor banks at Captain Jack and Slatt substations; reconductoring of a section
of the 500 kV line; and replacement and upgrade of the Malin substation series
capacitor;
o Reconductored the 230 kV tie line between Dixonville 500 kV and Dixonville
230 kV;
o Installed the new Nickel Mountain 230-115 kV substation and converted Line 37
in southwest Oregon from 69 to 115 kV;
o Converted Line 3 in the Medford, Oregon area and Line 1 in the Yreka, California
area from 69 kV to 115 kV;
o Reconductored 5 miles of the Union Gap to North Park 115 kV line in Yakima
Washington.
These investments helped maximize the transmission system’s capabilities
and provided numerous system and customer benefits, including:
Increased the COI operating capability by 300 MW;
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77
Improved the Company’s ability to move resources to customer
loads;
Enabled operation of the COI at its limits in the summer months,
increasing the system capability by an average of 80 MW and
supporting customer load growth;
Improved reliability and support for customer load growth in
southern Oregon and northern California;
Complied with required NERC and WECC reliability standards
and improved service to customers in the Yakima, Washington
area.
These improvements have enabled more efficient use of the transmission system and, coupled
with the recent economic sluggishness, have helped meet short-term needs. However, with
projected long-term growth and the need for additional resources as depicted in our customers’
load and resource forecasts, PacifiCorp’s transmission system is approaching the point where no
additional capacity is available, requiring additional transmission infrastructure to meet the long-
term needs of our customers.
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 4 – TRANSMISSION
78
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 5 – RESOURCE NEEDS ASSESSMENT
79
CHAPTER 5 – RESOURCE NEEDS ASSESSMENT
CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS
On both a capacity and energy basis, PacifiCorp calculates load and resource
balances using existing resource levels, forecasted loads and sales, and reserve
requirements. The capacity balance compares existing resource capability at the
time of the coincident system peak load hour.
For capacity expansion planning, the Company uses a 13-percent planning reserve
margin applied to PacifiCorp’s obligation (Loads – Interruptibles – DSM). The 13-
percent planning reserve margin is supported by Stochastic Loss of Load
Probability Study in Appendix I.
The system coincident peak load is forecasted to grow at a compounded average
annual growth rate of 1.2 percent for 2013 through 2022. On an energy basis,
PacifiCorp expects system-wide average load growth of 1.1 percent per year from
2013 through 2022.
The Company has updated the calculation of the Load and Resource balance in-step
with the upgraded IRP models. Certain items have moved from one component
category to another. Sales moved from increasing obligation to reducing existing
resources. Non-Owned Reserves moved from increasing reserves to reducing
existing resources. Existing DSM and Interruptible contracts moved from
increasing Existing Resources to reducing obligation.
The Company projects a summer peak resource deficit of 824 MW for the
PacifiCorp system beginning in 2013. The table below shows the system capacity
position forecast, indicating the widening capacity deficit, which reaches 2,308 MW
by 2022.
The near-term deficit will be met by incremental demand-side management
programs, and market purchases.
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 5 – RESOURCE NEEDS ASSESSMENT
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Introduction
This chapter presents PacifiCorp’s assessment of resource need, focusing on the first ten years of
the IRP’s 20-year study period, 2013 through 2022. The Company’s long-term load forecasts
(both energy and coincident peak load) for each state and the system as a whole are addressed in
detail in Appendix A. The summary level system coincident peak is presented first, followed by
a profile of PacifiCorp’s existing resources. Finally, load and resource balances for capacity and
energy are presented. These balances are comprised of a year-by-year comparison of projected
loads against the resource base without new additions. This comparison indicates when
PacifiCorp is expected to be either deficit or surplus on both a capacity and energy basis for each
year of the planning horizon.
System Coincident Peak Load Forecast
The system coincident peak load is the maximum load on the system in any hour in a one-year
period. The Company’s long-term load forecasts (both energy and coincident peak) for each
state and the system are addressed in detail in Appendix A.
The 2013 IRP used the Company’s July 2012 load forecast. Table 5.1 shows the annual
coincident peak load stated in megawatts as reported in the capacity load and resource balance
prior to any load reductions from energy efficiency (Class 2 DSM). The system peak load grows
at a compounded average annual growth rate (CAAGR) of 1.2 percent for 2013 through 2022.
Table 5.1 – Forecasted System Coincidental Peak Load in Megawatts, Prior to Energy
Efficiency Reductions
Region 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
System 10,136 10,330 10,495 10,359 10,512 10,687 10,816 10,971 11,133 11,280
Existing Resources
For the forecasted 2013 summer peak, PacifiCorp owns, or has interest in, resources with an
expected system peak capacity of 11,964 MW. Table 5.2 provides anticipated system peak
capacity ratings by resource category as reflected in the IRP load and resource balance for 2013.
Note that capacity ratings in the following tables are rounded to the nearest megawatt and a
column shows the Load and Resource balance capacity value at the time of system coincident
peak.
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 5 – RESOURCE NEEDS ASSESSMENT
81
Table 5.2 – 2013 Capacity Contribution at System Peak for Existing Resources
Resource Type 1/
L&R Balance
Capacity at
System Peak
(MW) 2/ Percent (%)
Pulverized Coal 6,168 51.6%
Gas-CCCT 1,994 16.7%
Gas-SCCT 562 4.7%
Hydroelectric 913 7.6%
DSM 3/ 407 3.4%
Renewables 121 1.0%
Purchase 4/ 1,487 12.4%
Qualifying Facilities 171 1.4%
Interruptible 141 1.2%
Total 11,964 100%
1/ Sales and Non-Owned Reserves are not included.
2/ Represents the capacity available at the time of system peak used for preparation of the
capacity load and resource balance. For specific definitions by resource type see the section
entitled, “Load and Resource Balance Components”, later in this chapter.
3/ DSM includes existing Class 1 and Class 2 programs.
4/ Purchases constitute contracts that do not fall into other categories such as hydroelectric,
renewables, and natural gas.
Thermal Plants
Table 5.3 lists existing PacifiCorp’s coal fired thermal plants and Table 5.4 lists existing natural
gas fired plants. The assumed end of life dates are used for the 2013 IRP modeling of existing
coal resources, additional information on methodology is in Chapter 7. The IRP confidential
Volume III goes into additional analysis on coal plants.
Table 5.3 – Coal Fired Plants
Plant
PacifiCorp
Percentage Share
(%) State
L&R Balance
Capacity at System
Peak (MW)
Assumed End
of Life Year
Carbon 1 100 Utah 67 2014
Carbon 2 100 Utah 105 2014
Cholla 4 100 Arizona 387 2042
Colstrip 3 10 Montana 74 2046
Colstrip 4 10 Montana 74 2046
Craig 1 19 Colorado 84 2034
Craig 2 19 Colorado 84 2034
Dave Johnston 1 100 Wyoming 106 2027
Dave Johnston 2 100 Wyoming 106 2027
Dave Johnston 3 100 Wyoming 220 2027
Dave Johnston 4 100 Wyoming 330 2027
Hayden 1 24 Colorado 45 2030
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 5 – RESOURCE NEEDS ASSESSMENT
82
Plant
PacifiCorp
Percentage Share
(%) State
L&R Balance
Capacity at System
Peak (MW)
Assumed End
of Life Year
Hayden 2 13 Colorado 33 2030
Hunter 1 94 Utah 418 2042
Hunter 2 60 Utah 269 2042
Hunter 3 100 Utah 479 2042
Huntington 1 100 Utah 459 2036
Huntington 2 100 Utah 450 2036
Jim Bridger 1 67 Wyoming 354 2037
Jim Bridger 2 67 Wyoming 363 2037
Jim Bridger 3 67 Wyoming 349 2037
Jim Bridger 4 67 Wyoming 353 2037
Naughton 1 100 Wyoming 158 2029
Naughton 2 100 Wyoming 205 2029
Naughton 3* 100 Wyoming 330 2029
Wyodak 80 Wyoming 268 2039
TOTAL – Coal 6,168
* Naughton 3 to repower to Natural Gas fueled generators in early 2015.
Table 5.4 – Natural Gas Plants
Natural Gas -fueled
PacifiCorp
Percentage
Share (%) State
L&R Balance
Capacity at System
Peak (MW)
Chehalis 100 Washington 477
Currant Creek 100 Utah 506
Gadsby 1 100 Utah 57
Gadsby 2 100 Utah 69
Gadsby 3 100 Utah 105
Gadsby 4 100 Utah 39
Gadsby 5 100 Utah 39
Gadsby 6 100 Utah 39
Hermiston 1 * 50 Oregon 233
Hermiston 2 * 50 Oregon 233
Lake Side 100 Utah 545
Lake Side 2 ** 100 Utah 628
James River Cogen (CHP) 100 Washington 14
West Valley – Lease 0 Utah 200
TOTAL – Gas and Combined Heat & Power 2,556
* Hermiston plant 50% owned and 50% under long-term contract.
** Lake Side 2 is currently under construction with in-service date of mid-2014.
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 5 – RESOURCE NEEDS ASSESSMENT
83
Renewables
PacifiCorp’s renewable resources, presented by resource type, are described below.
Wind
PacifiCorp either owns or purchases under contract 2,186 MW of wind resources. Since the 2011
IRP Update, the Company has entered into power purchase agreements totaling 160 MW:
Meadow Creek
- North Point
- Five Pine
Butter Creek
- High Plateau
- Mule Hollow
- Lower Ridge
- Pine City
Table 5.5 shows existing wind facilities owned by PacifiCorp, while Table 5.6 shows existing
wind power purchase agreements.
Table 5.5 – PacifiCorp-owned Wind Resources
Utility-Owned Wind Projects
Capacity
(MW)
L&R Balance
Capacity at System
Peak (MW)
In-Service
Year
State
Foote Creek I * 33 2 2005 WY
Leaning Juniper 101 4 2006 OR
Goodnoe Hills East Wind 94 4 2007 WA
Marengo 140 6 2007 WA
Marengo II 70 3 2008 WA
Glenrock Wind I 99 4 2008 WY
Glenrock Wind III 39 2 2008 WY
Rolling Hills Wind 99 4 2008 WY
Seven Mile Hill Wind 99 4 2008 WY
Seven Mile Hill Wind II 20 1 2008 WY
High Plains 99 4 2009 WY
McFadden Ridge 1 29 1 2009 WY
Dunlap 1 111 4 2010 WY
TOTAL – Owned Wind 1,032 43 *Net total capacity for Foote Creek I is 40 MW.
Table 5.6 – Wind Power Purchase Agreements and Exchanges
Power Purchase Agreements /
Exchanges
Capacity
(MW)
L&R Balance
Capacity at
System Peak
(MW)
In-Service
Year State
Foote Creek II 2 0 2005 WY
Foote Creek III 25 1 2005 WY
Foote Creek IV 17 1 2005 WY
Combine Hills 41 2 2003 OR
Stateline Wind 175 17 2002 OR / WA
Wolverine Creek 65 3 2005 ID
Rock River I 50 2 2006 WY
Mountain Wind Power I 60 3 2008 WY
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 5 – RESOURCE NEEDS ASSESSMENT
84
Power Purchase Agreements /
Exchanges
Capacity
(MW)
L&R Balance
Capacity at
System Peak
(MW)
In-Service
Year State
Mountain Wind Power II 80 3 2008 WY
Spanish Fork Wind Park 2 19 1 2008 UT
Three Buttes Wind Power (Duke) 99 4 2009 WY
Oregon Wind Farms I 45 3 2009 OR
Oregon Wind Farms II 20 0 2010 OR
Casper Wind 17 0 2010 WY
Top of the World 200 8 2010 WY
Power County Wind Park North 22 1 2011 ID
Power County Wind Park South 22 1 2011 ID
Meadow Creek Project – North Point * 80 3 2012 ID
Meadow Creek Project – Five Pine * 40 2 2012 ID
Butter Creek – High Plateau * 10 0 2013 OR
Butter Creek – Lower Ridge * 10 0 2013 OR
Butter Creek – Mule Hollow * 10 0 2013 OR
Butter Creek – Pine City * 10 0 2013 OR
TOTAL – Purchased Wind 1,154 55
*New since the 2011 IRP Update.
Geothermal
PacifiCorp owns and operates the Blundell Geothermal Plant in Utah, which uses naturally
created steam to generate electricity. The plant has a net generation capacity of 34 MW.
Blundell is a fully renewable, zero-discharge facility. The bottoming cycle, which increased the
output by 11 MW, was completed at the end of 2007. The Oregon Institute of Technology added
a new small qualifying facility (QF) using geothermal technologies to produce renewable power
for the campus and is rated at 0.28 MW. The Company has also entered into a Qualifying
Facility agreement for a 10 MW Oregon Geothermal plant scheduled to be online in late 2013.
Biomass / Biogas
Since the 2011 IRP Update, PacifiCorp has added more than 8 MW of Biogas resources. These
types of resources are primarily Qualifying Facilities.
Renewables Net Metering
As of year-end 2012, PacifiCorp had 4,974 net metering customers throughout its six-state
territory, generating more than 35,000 kW using solar, hydro, wind, and fuel cell technologies.
About 95 percent of customer generators are solar-based, followed by wind-based generation at 4
percent of total generation.
Net metering has grown by more than 33 percent from last year. The Company averaged 114
new net metered customers a month in 2012, compared to 84 new customers per month in 2011.
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 5 – RESOURCE NEEDS ASSESSMENT
85
Hydroelectric Generation
PacifiCorp owns 1,145 MW34 of hydroelectric generation capacity and purchases the output from
136 MW of other hydroelectric resources. These resources account for approximately 10 percent
of PacifiCorp’s total generating capability, in addition to providing operational benefits such as
flexible generation, spinning reserves and voltage control. PacifiCorp-owned hydroelectric plants
are located in California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, and Utah.
The amount of electricity PacifiCorp is able to generate or purchase from hydroelectric plants is
dependent upon a number of factors, including the water content of snow pack accumulations in
the mountains upstream of its hydroelectric facilities and the amount of precipitation that falls in
its watershed. Operational limitations of the hydroelectric facilities are impacted by varying
water levels, licensing requirements for fish and aquatic habitat, and flood control; leading to
load and resource balance capacity values that are different from net facility capacity ratings.
Hydroelectric purchases are categorized into two groups as shown in Table 5.7, which reports
2013 capacity included in the load and resource balance.
Table 5.7 – Hydroelectric Contracts - Load and Resource Balance Capacities
Hydroelectric Contracts
by Load and Resource Balance Category
L&R Balance
Capacity at System
Peak (MW)
Hydroelectric 99
Qualifying Facilities - Hydroelectric 37
Total Contracted Hydroelectric Resources 136
Table 5.8 provides an operational profile for each of PacifiCorp’s owned hydroelectric
generation facilities. The dates listed refer to a calendar year.
Table 5.8 – PacifiCorp Owned Hydroelectric Generation Facilities - Load and Resource
Balance Capacities
Plant State
L&R Balance
Capacity at System
Peak (MW)
West
Big Fork Montana 4
Clearwater 1 Oregon 15
Clearwater 2 Oregon 26
Copco 1 and 2 California 47
Fish Creek Oregon 0
Iron Gate California 11
JC Boyle Oregon 15
Lemolo 1 Oregon 32
Lemolo 2 Oregon 16
Merwin Washington 23
Rogue Oregon 30
Small West Hydro 1/ California / Oregon / Washington 3
34 2012 PacifiCorp 10-K filing shows 1,145 MW of Net Facility Capacity.
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 5 – RESOURCE NEEDS ASSESSMENT
86
Plant State
L&R Balance
Capacity at System
Peak (MW)
Soda Springs Oregon 12
Swift 1 Washington 240
Swift 2 2/ Washington 72
Toketee and Slide Oregon 26
East-Side / West-Side Oregon 3
Yale Washington 134
East
Bear River Idaho / Utah 86
Small East Hydro 3/ Idaho / Utah / Wyoming 29
TOTAL – Hydroelectric before contracts 824
Hydroelectric Contracts 136
TOTAL – Hydroelectric 960
1/ Includes Bend, Condit, Fall Creek, and Wallowa Falls
2/ Cowlitz County PUD owns Swift No. 2, and is operated in coordination with the other projects by PacifiCorp
3/ Includes Ashton, Paris, Pioneer, Weber, Stairs, Granite, Snake Creek, Olmstead, Fountain Green, Veyo, Sand
Cove, Viva Naughton, and Gunlock
Hydroelectric Relicensing Impacts on Generation
Table 5.9 lists the estimated impacts to average annual hydro generation from FERC orders and
relicensing settlement commitments. PacifiCorp assumes that the Klamath hydroelectric
facilities will be decommissioned pursuant to the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement
in the year 2020 and that the Wallowa Falls project and other projects to be relicensed in future
years will receive new operating licenses, but that additional operating restrictions imposed in
new licenses, such as higher bypass flow requirements, will reduce generation available from
these facilities.
Table 5.9 – Estimated Impact of FERC License Renewals and Relicensing Settlement
Commitments on Hydroelectric Generation
Year Lost Generation (MWh)
2013 201,228
2014 201,228
2015 201,228
2016 201,228
2017 201,228
2018 201,228
2019 201,228
2020 918,048
2021 918,048
2022 918,048
2023 918,048
2024 918,048
2025 918,048
2026 918,048
2027 918,048
2028 918,048
2029 918,048
2030 918,048
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 5 – RESOURCE NEEDS ASSESSMENT
87
Year Lost Generation (MWh)
2031 918,048
2032 918,048
Demand-side Management
DSM resources/products vary in their dispatchability, reliability of results, term of load reduction
benefit and persistence over time. Each has its value and place in effectively managing utility
investments, resource costs and system operations. Those that have greater persistence and
firmness can be reasonably relied upon as a base resource for planning purposes; those that do
not are more suited as system reliability resource options. Reliability tools are used to avoid
outages or high resource costs as a result of weather conditions, plant outages, market prices, and
unanticipated system failures. DSM resources/products can be divided into four general classes
based on their relative characteristics, the classes are:
Class 1 DSM: Resources from fully dispatchable or scheduled firm capacity product
offerings/programs – Class 1 DSM programs are those for which capacity savings occur as
a result of active Company control or advanced scheduling. Once customers agree to
participate in Class 1 DSM program, the timing and persistence of the load reduction is
involuntary on their part within the agreed upon limits and parameters of the program. In
most cases, loads are shifted rather than avoided. Examples include residential and small
commercial central air conditioner load control programs (“Cool Keeper”) that are
dispatchable in nature and irrigation load management and interruptible or curtailment
programs (which may be dispatchable or scheduled firm, depending on the particular
program design and/or event noticing requirements).
Class 2 DSM: Resources from non-dispatchable, firm energy and capacity product
offerings/programs – Class 2 DSM programs are those for which sustainable energy and
related capacity savings are achieved through facilitation of technological advancements in
equipment, appliances, lighting and structures, or repeatable and predictable voluntary
actions on a customer’s part to manage the energy use at their facility or home. Class 2 DSM
programs generally provide financial and/or service incentives to customers to improve the
efficiency of existing or new customer-owned facilities through the installation of more
efficient equipment such as lighting, motors, air conditioners, or appliances or upgrading
building efficiency through improved insulation levels, windows, etc. however the category
has recently been expanded to include strategic energy management efforts at business
facilities and home energy reports in the residential sector. The savings endure (are
considered firm) over the life of the improvement or customer action. Program examples
include comprehensive commercial and industrial new and retrofit energy efficiency
programs (“Energy FinAnswer” and “FinAnswer Express”), refrigerator recycling programs
(“See ya later, refrigerator®”), comprehensive home improvement retrofit programs (“Home
Energy Saving”), strategic energy management and home energy reports.
Class 3 DSM: Resources from price responsive energy and capacity product
offerings/programs – Class 3 DSM programs seek to achieve short-duration (hour by hour)
energy and capacity savings from actions taken by customers voluntarily, based on a
financial incentive or signal. Savings are measured at a customer-by-customer level (via
metering and/or metering data analysis against baselines), and customers are compensated or
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 5 – RESOURCE NEEDS ASSESSMENT
88
in accordance with a program’s pricing parameters. As a result of their voluntary nature,
savings are less predictable, making them less suitable to incorporate into resource planning
exercises, at least until such time that their size and customer behavior profile provide
sufficient information for a reliable diversity result for modeling and planning purposes.
Savings typically only endure for the duration of the incentive offering and in many cases
loads tend to be shifted rather than avoided. Program examples include large customer
energy bid programs (“Energy Exchange”), time-of-use pricing plans, critical peak pricing
plans, and inverted block tariff designs. Although the impacts of such programs may not be
explicitly considered in the resource planning process however are captured naturally in
long-term load growth patterns and forecasts.
Class 4 DSM: Non-incented behavioral based savings achieved through broad energy
education and communication efforts – Class 4 DSM programs promote reductions in
energy or capacity usage through broad based energy education and communication efforts.
The program objectives are to help customers better understand how to manage their energy
usage through no cost actions such as conservative thermostat settings and turning off
appliances, equipment and lights when not in use. The programs also are used to increase
customer awareness of additional actions they might take to save energy and the service and
financial tools available to assist them. Class 4 DSM programs help foster an understanding
and appreciation of why utilities seek customer participation in Classes 1, 2 and 3 DSM
programs. Program examples include Company brochures with energy savings tips, customer
newsletters focusing on energy efficiency, case studies of customer energy efficiency
projects, and public education and awareness programs such as “Let’s turn the answers on”
and “wattsmart” campaigns. Like Class 3 resources, the impacts of such programs may not
be explicitly considered in the resource planning process however are captured naturally in
long-term load growth patterns and forecasts
PacifiCorp has been operating successful DSM programs since the late 1970s. While the
Company’s DSM focus has remained strong over this time, since the 2001 western energy crisis,
the Company’s DSM pursuits have been expanded in terms of investment level, state presence,
breadth of DSM resources pursued (Classes 1 through 4) and resource planning considerations.
Company investments continue to increase year on year with 2012 investments of nearly $120
million (all states). Work continues on the expansion of program portfolios and savings
opportunities in all states while at the same time adapting programs and measure baselines to
reflect the impacts of advancing state and federal energy codes and standards. In Oregon the
Company continues to work closely with the Energy Trust of Oregon to help identify additional
resource opportunities, improve delivery and communication coordination, and ensure adequate
funding and Company support in pursuit of DSM resource targets. Washington’s portfolio and
programs continue to evolve under Initiative 937 requirements and the performance of
Wyoming’s program portfolio has shown increasing improvement since the latest round of
program revisions were approved in November, 2011. Finally, significant changes to the Idaho
and Utah Class 1 DSM portfolios are underway in an effort to improve program effectiveness
and economics in those states and providing for a more viable delivery platforms for the
expansion of Class 1 programs to the west side of the system as the need and value for new west-
side capacity resources dictate.
The following represents a brief summary of the existing resources by class.
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 5 – RESOURCE NEEDS ASSESSMENT
89
Class 1 Demand-side Management
Currently there are two Class 1 DSM programs running across PacifiCorp’s six-state service
area; Utah’s “Cool Keeper” residential and small commercial air conditioner load control
program and Idaho’s and Utah’s dispatchable irrigation load management programs. In 2012
these programs accounted for over 350 MW of realized reduction from Class 1 DSM program
resources under management helping the Company better manage demand during peak periods35.
Class 2 Demand-side Management
The Company currently manages ten distinct Class 2 DSM products, many of which are offered
in multiple states. In all, the combination of Class 2 DSM programs across the five states where
the Company is directly responsible for delivery totals thirty-one. The cumulative historical
energy and capacity savings (1992-2012) associated with Class 2 DSM program activity has
accounted for over 5.4 million MWh and approximately 925 MW of non-coincident peak load
reductions.
Class 3 Demand-side Management
The Company has numerous Class 3 DSM offerings currently available. They include metered
time-of-day and time-of-use pricing plans (in all states, availability varies by customer class),
residential seasonal inverted block rates (Idaho, Utah and Wyoming), residential year-round
inverted block rates (California, Oregon and Washington) and Energy Exchange programs (all
states). System-wide, approximately 19,500 customers were participating in metered time-of-day
and time-of-use programs as of December 31, 2011.36 All of the Company’s residential
customers not opting for a time-of-use rates are currently subject to seasonal or year-round
inverted block rate plans.
Savings associated with these resources are captured within the Company’s load forecast, with
the exception of the more immediate call-to-action programs, and are thus captured in the
integrated resource planning framework. PacifiCorp continues to evaluate Class 3 DSM
programs for applicability to long-term resource planning. As part of the development of the
2013 IRP, the Company commissioned a study by The Cadmus Group to investigate the
handling of Class 3 DSM by utilities in integrated resource planning. The study, titled
”Treatment of Class 3 DSM Resources in Integrated Resource Planning”, is provided as
Appendix D and provides valuable insights into methods used to account for the impacts of Class
3 DSM resources in integrated resource planning. The study also led to a more thorough impact
assessment of the Company’s existing Class 3 DSM offerings in the updated “Assessment of
Long-Term, System-Wide Potential for Demand-Side and Other Supplemental Resources”
(“DSM Potential Study”), the study that was used in the development of the revised DSM
resource supply-curves used in the 2013 IRP. Those impacts are reflected in Table 5.10 below.
In addition, the update to the DSM Potential Study expanded its analysis of the interactive
effects of competing DSM resources in order to allow for modeling of all classes of DSM
resources at the same time without the risks of over estimating their impacts. The DSM Potential
Study is provided as Appendix D.
35 Realized reductions vary by event (temperature and month and time dependent), cited load reduction represents
the sum of the highest event performance across the three states for the two programs and account for line losses
(are “at generator” values). 36 Year-end 2011 participation data were used for the analysis in the DSM Potential Study. At the end of 2012, there
were approximately 19,200 customers on time-varying rates.
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 5 – RESOURCE NEEDS ASSESSMENT
90
As discussed in Chapter 6, five Class 3 DSM programs were provided as resource options in
preliminary IRP modeling scenarios.
Class 4 Demand-side Management
Educating customers regarding energy efficiency and load management opportunities is an
important component of the Company’s long-term resource acquisition plan. A variety of
channels are used to educate customers including television, radio, newspapers, bill inserts and
messages, newsletters, school education programs, and personal contact. Load reductions due to
Class 4 DSM activity will show up in Class 1 and Class 2 DSM program results and non-
program reductions in the load forecast over time.
Table 5.10 summarizes the existing DSM programs. Note that since Class 2 DSM is determined
as an outcome of resource portfolio modeling and is included in the preferred portfolio, existing
Class 2 DSM is shown as having zero MW37.
Table 5.10 – Existing DSM Summary, 2013-2022
Program
Class Description
Energy Savings or Capacity
at Generator
Included as
Existing Resources for
2013-2022 Period
1
Residential/small
commercial air conditioner
load control
120 MW summer peak Yes
Irrigation load
management 209 MW summer peak38 Yes
Interruptible contracts
2013~ 324 MW,
2014~298 MW
2015-2022~310 MW
Yes.
2 Company and Energy
Trust of Oregon programs 0 MW
No. Class 2 DSM programs are
modeled as resource options in the
portfolio development process, and
included in the preferred portfolio.
3
Energy Exchange
0-1939 MW (assumes no other
Class 3 DSM competing
products running)
No. Program is leveraged as
economic and reliability resource
dependent on market prices/system
loads.
Time-based pricing 27-143 MW summer peak,
19,500 customers
No. Historical behavior is captured
in load forecast. Impacts estimated
in 2013 Conservation Potential
Assessment
Inverted rate pricing
45-123 MW summer peak,
1.5 million residential
customers
No. Historical behavior is captured
in load forecast. Impacts estimated
in 2013 Conservation Potential
Assessment
37 The impacts of historic acquisition rates of Class 2 DSM are backed out of the load forecast prior to modeling for
new Class 2 DSM. 38 Assumes realized irrigation load curtailment in Idaho and Utah of 171 MW and 38 MW, respectively. 39 2013 Assessment of Long-Term, System-Wide Potential for Demand-Side and Other Supplemental Resources.
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 5 – RESOURCE NEEDS ASSESSMENT
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Program
Class Description
Energy Savings or Capacity
at Generator
Included as
Existing Resources for
2013-2022 Period
4 Energy Education MWa/MW unavailable
No. Program impacts is captured in
load forecast over time and other
Class 1 and 2 DSM program
results.
Power Purchase Contracts
PacifiCorp obtains the remainder of its energy requirements, including any changes from
expectations, through long-term firm contracts, short-term firm contracts, and spot market
purchases.
Figure 5.1 presents the contract capacity in place for 2013 through 2032 as of November 2012.
As shown, major capacity reductions in purchases and hydro contracts occur. (For planning
purposes, PacifiCorp assumes that current qualifying facility and interruptible load contracts are
extended through the end of the IRP study period.) Note that renewable wind contracts are
shown at their capacity contribution levels.
Figure 5.1 – Contract Capacity in the 2013 Load and Resource Balance
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 5 – RESOURCE NEEDS ASSESSMENT
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Listed below are the major contract expirations expiring between the summer 2013 and summer
2014:
Expiring Front Office Transactions East – 300 MW
Expiring Utah Capacity Purchase East – 200 MW
Expiring Front Office Transactions West – 100 MW
Expiring Bonneville Power Administration Spring / Summer Option – 150 MW
Net decrease for other contracts – 18 MW
Load and Resource Balance
Capacity and Energy Balance Overview
The purpose of the load and resource balance is to compare the annual obligations with the
annual capability of PacifiCorp’s existing resources, absent new resource additions. This is done
with respect to two views of the system, the capacity balance and energy balance.
The capacity balance compares generating capability to expected peak load at time of system
peak load hours. It is a key part of the load and resource balance because it provides guidance as
to the timing and severity of future resource deficits. It was developed by first determining the
system coincident peak load hour for each of the first ten years (2013-2022) of the planning
horizon. The peak load and load interruptible programs and load reduction DSM programs were
netted together for each of the annual system peak hours to compute the annual peak-hour
obligation. Then the annual firm capacity availability of the existing resources was determined
for each of these annual system peak hours. The annual resource deficit (surplus) was then
computed by multiplying the obligation by the planning reserve margin (PRM), and then
subtracting the result from the existing resources.
The energy balance shows the average monthly on-peak and off-peak surplus (deficit) of energy
over the first ten years of the planning horizon (2013-2022). The average obligation (load less
DSM programs) was computed and subtracted from the average existing resource availability for
each month and time-of-day period. This was done for each side of the PacifiCorp system as well
as at the system level. The energy balance complements the capacity balance in that it also
indicates when resource deficits occur, but it also provides insight into what type of resource will
best fill the need. The usefulness of the energy balance is limited as it does not address the cost
of the available energy. The economics of adding resources to the system to meet both capacity
and energy needs are addressed with the portfolio studies described in Chapter 8.
Load and Resource Balance Components
The capacity and energy balances make use of the same load and resource components in their
calculation. The main component categories consist of the following: existing resources,
obligation, reserves, position, and reserve margin. The Company has updated the calculation of
the Load and Resource balance in-step with the upgraded IRP models. Certain items have
moved from one component category to another.
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Under the new calculation, there are now negative values in the table for both the resources and
obligation sections. This modification provides an improvement as to how resources are
modeled and represented in the categories in relation to the updated models. The four resource
categories are Sales, Non-Owned Reserves, Interruptibles, and Class 1 DSM. Later in the
portfolio load and resource balance Class 2 DSM follows Class 1 DSM into the obligation
section. Listed below are the changes for the four categories:
Sales moved from increasing obligation to reducing Existing Resources
Non-Owned Reserves moved from increasing Reserves to reducing Existing Resources
Existing Class 1 DSM moved from increasing Existing Resources to reducing obligation
Existing Interruptible contracts moved from increasing Existing Resources to reducing
obligation
For comparability to prior IRP load and resource balance tables, Table 5.11 has been provided in
the prior format. This next section provides a description of these various components.
Existing Resources
A description of each of the resource categories follows:
Thermal. This category includes all thermal plants that are wholly-owned or partially-owned
by PacifiCorp. The capacity balance counts them at maximum dependable capability at time
of system peak. The energy balance also counts them at maximum dependable capability, but
de-rates them for forced outages and maintenance. This includes the existing fleet of 11 coal-
fired plants, six natural gas-fired plants, and one cogeneration unit. These thermal resources
account for roughly two-thirds of the firm capacity available in the PacifiCorp system.
Hydro. This category includes all hydroelectric generation resources operated in the
PacifiCorp system as well as a number of contracts providing capacity and energy from
various counterparties. The capacity balance counts these resources by the maximum
capability that is sustainable for one hour at the time of system peak, an approach consistent
with current WECC capacity reporting practices. The energy associated with critical level
stream flow is estimated and shaped by the hydroelectric dispatch from the Vista Decision
Support System model. The energy impacts of hydro relicensing requirements, such as
higher bypass flows that reduce generation, are also accounted for. Over 90 percent of the
hydroelectric capacity is situated on the west side of the PacifiCorp system.
Renewable. This category comprises geothermal and variable (wind and solar) renewable
energy capacity. The capacity balance counts the geothermal plant by the maximum
dependable capability while the energy balance counts the maximum dependable capability
after forced outages.
For wind and solar resources, the Company changed its method of calculating capacity
contributions for wind and solar resources for this IRP. Rather than using a statistical
approach to derive peak load carrying capabilities for each resource, the Company now
determines aggregate peak capacity credits for each resource type by analyzing historical
energy generation data for the period 2007 through 2010. For wind resources, PacifiCorp
calculated the capacity credit for each year by first summing the hourly generation for all
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 5 – RESOURCE NEEDS ASSESSMENT
94
wind resources for each hour of the year and dividing the hourly generation by the aggregate
nameplate capacity to get hourly capacity factors. The average capacity factor for the 100
highest summer peak hours in the year is then calculated. Finally, the wind capacity credit is
multiplied by 0.90, or 90 percent, to reflect the Company’s assumption that there is a 90
percent probability that the wind resources will generate at the annual historical level in
future years. The resulting annual capacity credit, averaged for the four years of historical
data, is 4.2 percent. Since the Company has no historical data for solar resources, a similar
set of calculations was performed based on simulated hourly solar profiles that use historic
meteorological solar radiation data for five locations across the Company’s service territory.
The capacity credit for solar resources is 13.6 percent assuming that most installations are
optimized for energy output rather than peak capacity. See Appendix O for additional
information on wind and solar peak contributions.
Purchase. This includes all of the major contracts for purchases of firm capacity and energy
in the PacifiCorp system. The capacity balance counts these by the maximum contract
availability at time of system peak. The energy balance counts the optimum model dispatch.
Purchases are considered firm and thus planning reserves are not held for them.
Qualifying Facilities (QF). All QF that provide capacity and energy are included in this
category. Like other power purchases, the capacity balance counts them at maximum system
peak availability and the energy balance counts them by optimum model dispatch. It should
be noted that three of the QF resources (Kennecott, Tesoro, and US Magnesium) are
considered non-firm and thus do not contribute to capacity planning.
Sales. This includes all contracts for the sale of firm capacity and energy. The capacity
balance counts these contracts by the maximum obligation at time of system peak and the
energy balance counts them by optimum model dispatch. All sales contracts are firm and thus
planning reserves are held for them in the capacity view. Due to the way System Optimizer
now handles the calculation of reserve margins, sales are now categorized as a resource
modifier, and are applied as a decrease to resource capacity.
Non-owned reserves. For this IRP, non-owned reserves capacity is now categorized as a
decrease to resource capacity to represent the treatment of Non-owned reserve capacity in the
of System Optimizer. There are a number of counterparties that operate in the PacifiCorp
control areas that purchase operating reserves. The annual reserve obligation is about 9 MW
and 138 MW on the west and east balancing authorities, respectively. As the balancing
authority, PacifiCorp is required to hold reserves for these counterparties but is not required
to serve any associated loads.
Obligation
The obligation is the total electricity demand that PacifiCorp must serve, consisting of forecasted
retail load less Demand-side Management and less Interruptibles. The following are descriptions
of each of these components:
Load. The largest component of the obligation is the retail load. The capacity balance counts
the peak load (MW) at the hour of system coincident peak load. The system coincident peak
hour is determined by summing the loads for all locations (topology bubbles with loads).
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 5 – RESOURCE NEEDS ASSESSMENT
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Loads reported by East and West control areas thus reflect loads at the time of PacifiCorp’s
coincident system peak. The energy balance counts the load as an average of monthly as well
as annual time-of-day energy (MWa).
Dispatchable Load Control (Class 1 DSM). For this IRP, existing dispatchable load control
program capacity is categorized as a decrease to the obligation rather than an increase to
resource capacity as was done for prior IRPs. This change is in line with the treatment of
DSM capacity in the latest version of System Optimizer. DSM capacity is now handled as a
“load modifier”, which means that it reduces load in the denominator of the planning reserve
margin formula used by the model (As noted below, the reserve margin is the difference
between system capability and anticipated peak demand as a percentage of the peak load.) In
contrast, prior capacity balances included existing Class 1 DSM as a resource increase.
Interruptible. There are three east-side load curtailment contracts in this category. These
agreements with Monsanto, US Magnesium, and Nucor provide about 324 MW of load
interruption capability at time of system peak. Both the capacity balance and energy balance
count these resources at the level of full load interruption on the executed hours. Interruptible
resources directly curtail load and thus planning reserves are not held for them. As with Class
1 DSM, this resource is now categorized as a decrease to the peak load.
Reserves
The reserves are the total megawatts of planning that must be held for this load and resource
balance. A description of the two types of reserves follows:
Planning reserves. This is the total reserves that must be held to provide the planning
reserve margin (PRM). The planning reserve margin accounts for WECC operating
reserves40, load forecast errors, and other long-term resource adequacy planning
uncertainties. The following equation expresses the planning reserve requirement.
Position
The position is the resource surplus (deficit) after subtracting obligation plus required reserves
from the resource total. While similar, the position calculation is slightly different for the
capacity and energy views of the load and resource balance. Thus, the position calculation for
each of the views will be presented in their respective sections.
Reserve Margin
The reserve margin is the difference between system capability and anticipated peak demand,
measured either in megawatts or as a percentage of the peak load. A positive reserve margin
indicates that system capabilities exceed system obligations. Conversely, a negative reserve
margin indicates that system capabilities do not meet obligations. If system capabilities equal
obligations, then the reserve margin is zero. It should be pointed out that the position can be
negative when the corresponding reserve margin is non-negative. This is because the reserve
margin is measured relative only to obligation, while the position is measured relative to
obligation plus reserves. PacifiCorp adopted a 13 percent target planning reserve margin for the
2013 IRP. Note that a resource can only serve load in another topology location if there is
40 As part of the WECC, PacifiCorp is currently required to maintain at least 5 percent and 7 percent operating
reserve margins on hydro and thermal load-serving resources, respectively.
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 5 – RESOURCE NEEDS ASSESSMENT
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adequate transfer capacity. PacifiCorp captures transfer capacities as part of its capacity
expansion planning process. The supporting loss of load probability study is included as
Appendix I.
Capacity Balance Determination
Methodology
The capacity balance is developed by first determining the system coincident peak load hour for
each of the first ten years of the planning horizon. Then the annual firm-capacity availability of
the existing resources is determined for each of these annual system peak hours and summed as
follows:
Existing Resources = Thermal + Hydro + Renewable + Firm Purchases + Qualifying
Facilities – Firm Sales – Non-owned Reserves
The peak load, Interruptible and Class 1 DSM are netted together for each of the annual system
peak hours to compute the annual peak-hour obligation:
Obligation = Load – Class 1 DSM – Interruptibles
The amount of reserves to be added to the obligation is then calculated. This is accomplished by
the net system obligation calculated above multiplied by the planning reserve margin of 13%.
The formula for this calculation is the following:
Planning Reserves = Obligation x PRM
Finally, the annual capacity position is derived by adding the computed reserves to the
obligation, and then subtracting this amount from existing resources as shown in the following
formula:
Capacity Position = Existing Resources – (Obligation + Reserves)
Firm capacity transfers from PacifiCorp’s west to east control areas are reported for the east
capacity balance, while capacity transfers from the east to west control areas are reported for the
west capacity balance. Capacity transfers represent the optimized control area interchange at the
time of the system coincident peak load as determined by the System Optimizer model.41
Load and Resource Balance Assumptions
The assumptions underlying the current load and resource balance are generally the same as
those from the 2011 IRP update with a few exceptions. The following is a summary of these
assumption changes:
Wind Additions. Since the 2011 IRP Update the following wind resource additions are
included in existing portion of the Load and Resource balance:
41 West-to-east and east-to-west transfers should be identical. However, decimal precision of a transmission loss
parameter internal to the System Optimizer model results in a slight discrepancy (less than 2 MW) between reported
values.
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 5 – RESOURCE NEEDS ASSESSMENT
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New Qualifying Facility Wind Plants
- Meadow Creek Project – Five Pine – 40 MW
- Meadow Creek Project – North Point – 80 MW
- Lower Ridge Wind – 10 MW
- Mule Hollow Wind – 10 MW
- High Plateau Wind – 10 MW
- Pine City Wind – 10 MW
Solar Wind. PacifiCorp has acquired a 2 MW photovoltaic solar plant in eastern Oregon to
meet the Oregon Statute ORS 757.370, which requires the Company to acquire 8.7 MWac of
qualifying photovoltaic system capacity by 2020.
- Black Cap Solar – 2 MW
Coal plant turbine upgrades. The current load and resource balance assumes 14 MW of
coal plant turbine upgrades for Craig unit 2 (2 MW) and Jim Bridger Unit 2 (12 MW),
completing the scheduled upgrades as noted in the 2011 IRP Update Report.
Construction of Lake Side 2. PacifiCorp has begun construction of the Lake Side 2 plant in
Utah. This plant is expected to have a net capacity of 645 MW.
Capacity Balance Results
PacifiCorp has updated the format for the load and resource balance table in Table 5.12. For
reference, the Company has also provided table 5.11 which shows the same underlying
information but in the table format used in prior IRPs. The tables show the annual capacity
balances and component line items using a target planning reserve margin of 13 percent to
calculate the planning reserve amount. Balances for the system as well as PacifiCorp’s east and
west balancing authority are shown. (It should be emphasized that while west and east balances
are broken out separately, the PacifiCorp system is planned for and dispatched on a system
basis.) Also note that the new Qualifying Facility wind projects listed above are reported under
the Qualifying Facilities line item rather than the Renewables line item.
Table 5.11 provides a view of the Load and Resource balance using the old IRP’s format for
comparability to past IRP tables on the system level.
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 5 – RESOURCE NEEDS ASSESSMENT
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Table 5.11 – Old IRP Format: System Capacity Loads and Resources without Resource
Additions
Calendar Year 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
System
Thermal 8,724 9,150 8,984 8,974 8,957 8,957 8,957 8,957 8,957 8,954
Hydroelectric 913 891 916 917 915 912 858 861 782 785
Class 1 DSM 407 407 407 407 407 407 407 407 407 407
Renewable 121 121 119 119 119 119 119 119 118 99
Purchase 1,487 836 842 411 298 298 287 287 259 259
Qualifying Facilities 171 172 172 162 162 162 161 162 162 114
Interruptible 141 143 155 155 155 155 155 155 155 155
Transfers (2)(1)0 0 0 0 0 (2)0 0
System Existing Resources 11,962 11,719 11,595 11,145 11,013 11,010 10,944 10,946 10,840 10,773
System Total Resources 11,962 11,719 11,595 11,145 11,013 11,010 10,944 10,946 10,840 10,773
Load 10,136 10,330 10,495 10,359 10,512 10,687 10,816 10,971 11,133 11,280
Sale 1,292 992 890 834 748 748 748 749 267 261
System Obligation 11,428 11,322 11,385 11,193 11,260 11,435 11,564 11,720 11,400 11,541
Planning reserves (13%)1,246 1,271 1,291 1,274 1,294 1,316 1,333 1,353 1,374 1,393
Non-owned reserves 112 112 147 147 147 147 147 147 147 147
System Reserves 1,358 1,383 1,438 1,421 1,441 1,463 1,480 1,500 1,521 1,540
System Obligation + Reserves 12,786 12,705 12,823 12,614 12,701 12,898 13,044 13,220 12,921 13,081
System Position (824)(986)(1,228)(1,469)(1,688)(1,888)(2,100)(2,274)(2,081)(2,308)
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 5 – RESOURCE NEEDS ASSESSMENT
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Table 5.12 – Updated Format: System Capacity Loads and Resources without Resource
Additions
Figures 5.2 through 5.4 charts the table above for annual capacity position (resource surplus or
deficits) for the system, west balancing area, and east balancing area, respectively. The east
increase in 2014 is primarily due to the addition of Lake Side 2 natural gas plant.
Calendar Year 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
East
Thermal 6,200 6,626 6,460 6,454 6,454 6,454 6,454 6,454 6,454 6,454
Hydroelectric 137 140 140 135 135 132 135 135 135 135
Renewable 85 85 83 83 83 83 83 83 82 80
Purchase 1,005 611 611 398 285 285 285 285 257 257
Qualifying Facilities 83 73 73 73 73 73 73 73 73 25
Sale (1,032)(732)(730)(724)(638)(638)(638)(639)(158)(158)
Non-Owned Reserves (103)(103)(138)(138)(138)(138)(138)(138)(138)(138)
Transfers 750 829 737 672 678 683 1,124 1,122 1,124 706
East Existing Resources 7,125 7,529 7,236 6,953 6,932 6,934 7,378 7,375 7,829 7,361
Load 6,920 7,061 7,188 6,994 7,105 7,217 7,337 7,455 7,584 7,697
Existing Resources:
Interruptible (141)(143)(155)(155)(155)(155)(155)(155)(155)(155)
DSM (379)(379)(379)(379)(379)(379)(379)(379)(379)(379)
East obligation 6,400 6,539 6,654 6,460 6,571 6,683 6,803 6,921 7,050 7,163
Planning Reserves (13%)832 850 865 840 854 869 884 900 917 931
East Reserves 832 850 865 840 854 869 884 900 917 931
East Obligation + Reserves 7,232 7,389 7,519 7,300 7,425 7,552 7,687 7,821 7,967 8,094
East Position (107)140 (283)(347)(493)(618)(309)(446)(138)(733)
East Reserve Margin 11.3%15.1%8.7%7.6%5.5%3.8%8.5%6.6%11.0%2.8%
West
Thermal 2,524 2,524 2,524 2,520 2,503 2,503 2,503 2,503 2,503 2,500
Hydroelectric 776 751 776 782 780 780 723 726 647 650
Renewable 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 19
Purchase 482 225 231 13 13 13 2 2 2 2
Qualifying Facilities 88 99 99 89 89 89 88 89 89 89
Sale (260)(260)(160)(110)(110)(110)(110)(110)(109)(103)
Non-Owned Reserves (9)(9)(9)(9)(9)(9)(9)(9)(9)(9)
Transfers (752)(830)(737)(672)(678)(683)(1,124)(1,124)(1,124)(706)
West Existing Resources 2,885 2,536 2,760 2,649 2,624 2,619 2,109 2,113 2,035 2,442
Load 3,216 3,269 3,307 3,365 3,407 3,470 3,479 3,516 3,549 3,583
Existing Resources:
Interruptible 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
DSM (28)(28)(28)(28)(28)(28)(28)(28)(28)(28)
West obligation 3,188 3,241 3,279 3,337 3,379 3,442 3,451 3,488 3,521 3,555
Planning Reserves (13%)414 421 426 434 439 447 449 453 458 462
West Reserves 414 421 426 434 439 447 449 453 458 462
West Obligation + Reserves 3,602 3,662 3,705 3,771 3,818 3,889 3,900 3,941 3,979 4,017
West Position (717)(1,126)(945)(1,122)(1,194)(1,270)(1,791)(1,828)(1,944)(1,575)
West Reserve Margin (9.5%)(21.8%)(15.8%)(20.6%)(22.3%)(23.9%)(38.9%)(39.4%)(42.2%)(31.3%)
System
Total Resources 10,010 10,065 9,996 9,602 9,556 9,553 9,487 9,488 9,864 9,803
Obligation 9,588 9,780 9,933 9,797 9,950 10,125 10,254 10,409 10,571 10,718
Reserves 1,246 1,271 1,291 1,274 1,294 1,316 1,333 1,353 1,374 1,393
Obligation + Reserves 10,834 11,051 11,224 11,071 11,244 11,441 11,587 11,762 11,945 12,111
System Position (824)(986)(1,228)(1,469)(1,688)(1,888)(2,100)(2,274)(2,081)(2,308)
Reserve Margin 4.4%2.9%0.6%(2.0%)(4.0%)(5.6%)(7.5%)(8.8%)(6.7%)(8.5%)
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 5 – RESOURCE NEEDS ASSESSMENT
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Figure 5.2 – System Capacity Position Trend
Figure 5.3 – West Capacity Position Trend
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Me
g
a
w
a
t
t
s
Obligation + 13%Planning Reserves
Obligation
East Existing Resources
2022Resource Gap
2,308 MW2013Resource Gap
824 MW
West Existing Resources
13% Reserves
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Me
g
a
w
a
t
t
s
Obligation + 13%Planning Reserves
Obligation
2022Resource Gap
1,575 MW
2013 Resource Gap
717 MW
West Existing Resources
13% Reserves
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 5 – RESOURCE NEEDS ASSESSMENT
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Figure 5.4 – East Capacity Position Trend
Energy Balance Determination
Methodology
The energy balance shows the average monthly on-peak and off-peak surplus (deficit) of energy.
The on-peak hours are weekdays and Saturdays from hour-ending 7:00 am to 10:00 pm; off-peak
hours are all other hours. Peaking resources such as the Gadsby units are counted only for the
on-peak hours. This is calculated using the formulas that follow. Please refer to the section on
load and resource balance components for details on how energy for each component is counted.
Existing Resources = Thermal + Hydro + Class 1 DSM + Renewable + Firm Purchases + QF
+ Interruptible – Sales
The average obligation is computed using the following formula:
Obligation = Load + Sales
The energy position by month and daily time block is then computed as follows:
Energy Position = Existing Resources – Obligation – Reserve Requirements (13 percent PRM)
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Me
g
a
w
a
t
t
s
Obligation + 13%Planning Reserves
Obligation
East Existing Resources
2022Resource Gap
733 MW2013Resource Gap
107 MW
13% Reserves
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 5 – RESOURCE NEEDS ASSESSMENT
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Energy Balance Results
The capacity position shows how existing resources and loads balance during the coincident
peak load hour of the year inclusive of a planning reserve margin. Outside of the peak hour, the
Company economically dispatches its resources to meet changing load conditions taking into
consideration prevailing market conditions. In those periods when system resource costs are less
than the prevailing market price for power, the Company can dispatch resources that in aggregate
exceed then-current load obligations facilitating off system sales that reduce customer costs.
Conversely, at times when system resource costs fall below prevailing market prices, system
balancing market purchases can be used to meet then-current system load obligations to reduce
customer costs. The economic dispatch of system resources is critical to how the Company
manages net power costs. Figures 5.5 through 5.7 provide for the system, west balancing area,
and east balancing area, respectively, a snapshot of how existing system resources could be used
to meet forecasted load across on-peak and off-peak periods given current planning assumptions
and current wholesale power and natural gas prices.42 The figures show expected monthly
energy production from resources during on-peak and off-peak periods in relation to load
assuming no additional resources are added to PacifiCorp’s system. At times, resources are
economically dispatched above load levels facilitating net system balancing sales. This occurs
more often in off-peak periods than in on-peak periods. At other times, economic conditions
result in net system balancing purchases, which occur more often during on-peak periods.
Figures 5.5 through 5.7 also show how much energy is available from existing resources at any
given point in time. Those periods where all available resource energy falls below forecasted
loads are highlighted in red, and are indicative of short energy positions absent the addition of
incremental resources to the portfolio. During on-peak periods, the first energy shortfall appears
in July 2018, and by 2022 available system energy falls short of monthly loads in January, July,
August, and October. During off-peak periods, there are no energy shortfalls through the 2022
timeframe.
42 On-peak hours are defined as hour ending 7 AM through 10 PM, Monday through Saturday, excluding NERC-
observed holidays. All other hours define off-peak periods.
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 5 – RESOURCE NEEDS ASSESSMENT
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Figure 5.5 – System Average Monthly and Annual Energy Positions
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1,000
1,500
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PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 5 – RESOURCE NEEDS ASSESSMENT
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Figure 5.6 – West Average Monthly and Annual Energy Positions
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PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 5 – RESOURCE NEEDS ASSESSMENT
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Figure 5.7 – East Average Monthly and Annual Energy Positions
Load and Resource Balance Conclusions
Without additional resources the Company projects a summer peak system resource deficit of
824 MW beginning in 2013. The near-term deficit will be filled by additional DSM programs
and market purchases.
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PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 5 – RESOURCE NEEDS ASSESSMENT
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PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 6 – RESOURCE OPTIONS
107
CHAPTER 6 – RESOURCE OPTIONS
Introduction
This chapter provides background information on the various resources considered in the IRP for
meeting future capacity and energy needs. Organized by major category, these resources consist
of supply-side generation (utility-scaled and distributed resources), DSM programs, transmission
resources, and market purchases. For each resource category, the chapter discusses the criteria
for resource selection, presents the options and associated attributes, and describes the
technologies. In addition, for supply-side resources, the chapter describes how PacifiCorp
addressed long-term cost trends and uncertainty in deriving cost figures.
Supply-side Resources
The list of supply-side resource options has been updated to reflect the realities evidenced
through permitting, internally-generated studies, and externally-commissioned studies
undertaken to better understand the details of available generation resources. Capital costs, in
general, have remained stable due to recessionary economic conditions in 2008-2009 and a very
CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS
PacifiCorp developed resource attributes and costs for expansion resources that
reflect updated information from project experience, public meeting comments, and
studies. Current economic conditions have reduced capital cost uncertainty. Long-
term resource pricing, especially for emerging technologies, remains a challenge to
predict.
Resource costs have been generally stable since the previous IRP due to the
economic slow-down from 2008 through 2012.
Large utility scale solar photovoltaic options have been included in this IRP.
Geothermal purchase power agreements (PPA) have been included as supply-side
options in this IRP.
An expanded number of combustion turbine types and configurations are provided
in the current Supply Side Resource options table.
Energy storage systems continue to be of interest with options included for
advanced large batteries (one megawatt) as well as pumped hydro and compressed
air energy storage.
A 2013 resource potential study, conducted by The Cadmus Group, served as the
basis for updated resource characterizations covering demand-side management
(DSM) and distributed generation. The demand-side resource information was
converted into supply curves by measure or product type and competed against
other resource alternatives in IRP modeling.
PacifiCorp applied cost reduction credits for energy efficiency, reflecting risk
mitigation benefits, transmission & distribution investment deferral benefits, and a
10 percent market price credit for Washington and Oregon as required by the
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 6 – RESOURCE OPTIONS
108
gradual recovery experienced in 2010-2012. Natural gas-fueled plants are expected to fulfill the
current and expected base-load obligations to meet customer needs and therefore natural gas-
fueled resources have received a significant level of attention. A variety of gas-fueled generating
resources were selected after consultation with major suppliers, large engineering-consulting
firms, and primary stakeholders. New coal-fueled resources did not receive as much focus during
this cycle due to ongoing environmental permitting and sociopolitical obstacles for siting new
coal-fueled generation. The capital and operating costs of simple and combined-cycle gas
turbine plants have remained relatively low in recent years, with a flat to slightly increasing cost
trend in the past two years. Certain alternative (i.e. non-fossil-fuel) energy resources such as
wind and solar received greater emphasis during this review cycle compared to prior reviews.
Specifically, additional solar and wind resource options have been included in the analysis
compared to the previous IRP to capture cost and performance differences across different
regions within the service territory. Additional solar resources include utility-size photovoltaic
systems (PV) utilizing both fixed and single axis tracking. Energy storage options of at least one
megawatt continue to be of interest among the stakeholders, with options analyzed for large
pumped hydro projects, as well as advanced battery, fly wheel and compressed air energy storage
projects.
Derivation of Resource Attributes
The supply-side resource options were developed from a combination of resources. The process
began with the list of major generating resources from the 2011 IRP. This resource list was
reviewed and modified to reflect stakeholder input, environmental factors, cost dynamics, and
permitting realities. Once the basic list of resources was determined, the cost and performance
attributes for each resource were estimated. The information sources used are listed below,
followed by a brief description on how they were used in the development of the Supply Side
Resource table:
Recent (2012) third-party, cost and performance estimates;
Prior third-party, cost and performance studies or updated earlier estimates;
Actual PacifiCorp or electric utility industry installations, providing current
construction/maintenance costs and performance data with similar resource attributes;
Projected PacifiCorp or electric utility industry installations, providing projected
construction/maintenance costs and performance data of similar or identical resource
options; and
Recent Requests for Proposals and Requests for Information.
Recent third-party engineering information from original equipment manufacturers were used to
develop capital, operating and maintenance costs, performance and operating characteristics and
planned outage cycle estimates. Engineering-consultants or government agencies have access to
this data based on prior research studies, academia, actual installations, and direct information
exchanges with original equipment manufacturers. Examples of this type of effort include the
2012 Black & Veatch estimates prepared for simple cycle and combined cycle options and the
2012 HDR Engineering (HDR) study of various storage technologies.
Prior studies include studies prepared by others but not specifically for the Integrated Resource
Plan process, and include similar types of cost and performance data provided in the Supply Side
Resource table. This information includes publicly available engineering and government agency
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 6 – RESOURCE OPTIONS
109
reports. Examples of this type of study include the United States Department of Energy’s 2011
Wind Technologies Market Report.
PacifiCorp or industry installations provide a solid basis for capital/maintenance costs and
operating histories. Performance characteristics were adjusted to site-specific conditions
identified in the Supply Side Resource Table. For instance, the capacity of combustion turbine
based resources varies with elevation and ambient temperature and, to a lesser extent, relative
humidity. Adjustments were made for site-specific elevations of actual plants to more generic,
regional elevations for future resources. Examples of actual PacifiCorp installations that were
used to develop the cost and performance information provided in the Supply Side Resource
table include the Gadsby GE LM6000PC peaking units, the Lake Side 1 combined cycle plant
and PacifiCorp’s recent Black Cap solar photovoltaic project in Oregon.
Potential PacifiCorp resources also provide a source for cost and performance data. As with the
actual installations, performance data was adjusted to match site conditions. Examples of
potential or under-construction resources that have been used in developing information in the
Supply Side Resource table include the Lake Side 2 combined cycle plant, the Vogtle Nuclear
Plant currently under construction in Georgia, as well as the proposed McFadden Ridge 2 Wind
Plant and 12-Mile Hill Wind Plant sites.
Recent Requests for Information (RFI) and Requests for Proposals (RFP) also provide a useful
source of cost and performance data. In these cases, original equipment manufacturers provided
technology specific information. Examples of RFIs informing the Supply Side Resource Table
include a Greenfield geothermal site data solicitation for the “Generic Geothermal PPA 90% CF”
option and the Wind Capacity Factor Assumptions RFI for different state-specific wind resource
options.
Handling of Technology Improvement Trends and Cost Uncertainties
The capital cost uncertainty for many generation options is relatively high. Various factors
contribute to this uncertainty, including the relatively small number of facilities that have been
built, especially for new and emerging technologies, as well as prolonged economic uncertainty.
Despite this uncertainty, the cost profile between the last IRP and the current IRP has not
changed significantly. For example, Figure 6.1 shows the trend in North American carbon steel
sheet prices in the last year. This same information was presented in the 2011 IRP and the end
data from that chart is shown in Figure 6.1. In the last year, costs have decreased slightly from
higher initial costs and are currently close to costs that existed in September 2010. This is also
illustrated by the long-term historical steel pricing trend as shown in Figure 6.2. The capital cost
of generation resources reflect this status quo reality.
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 6 – RESOURCE OPTIONS
110
Figure 6.1 – World Carbon Steel Pricing by Type
Figure 6.2 – Historic Carbon Steel Pricing
Prices for solar photovoltaic (PV) panels have fallen significantly since the 2011 IRP. Real
prices are projected to continue to decline for the next several years, but uncertainty in the solar
$0.20
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2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
$/
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PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 6 – RESOURCE OPTIONS
111
market makes it difficult to accurately predict future prices. Other technologies, such as gas
turbines, and wind turbines have seen more stable prices since the 2011 IRP. Long-term resource
pricing remains challenging to forecast.
Some generation technologies, such integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC), have shown
significant cost uncertainty because only a few units have been built and operated. Recent
experience with cost overruns on IGCC projects such as Duke Energy’s Edwardsport and
Southern Company’s Kemper County IGCC plants are examples that illustrate the difficulty in
accurately estimating capital costs of these developing resource options. As these technologies
mature and more plants are constructed, the costs of such new technologies may decrease
relative to more mature options such as pulverized coal and natural gas-fueled plants.
The supply-side resource options tables do not include the potential for such capital cost
reductions since the benefits are not expected to be realized until the next generation of new
plants are built and operated. For example, construction and operating “experience curve”
benefits for IGCC plants are not expected to be available until after their commercial operation
dates. As such, future IRPs will be better able to incorporate the potential benefits of future cost
reductions. Given the current emphasis on construction and operating experience associated with
renewable generation, the Company anticipates the cost benefits for these technologies to be
available sooner. The estimated capital costs are displayed in the supply-side resource tables
along with expected availability of each technology for commercial utilization.
Resource Options and Attributes
Table 6.1 presents cost and performance attributes for supply-side resource options designated
by generic, elevation-specific regions where a resource could ultimately be located:
ISO conditions: 0’ elevation (sea level and 59 degrees F); this is used as a reference only
for certain modeling purposes.
1,500’ elevation: eastern Oregon/Washington.
4,500’ elevation: northern Utah, specifically Salt Lake/Utah/Davis/Box Elder counties
5,050’ elevation: central Utah, southern Idaho, central Wyoming.
6,500’ elevation: southwestern Wyoming
Tables 6.2 and 6.3 present the total resource cost attributes for supply-side resource options, and
are based on estimates of the first-year, real- levelized costs for resources, stated in June 2012
dollars. The resource costs are presented for both the $0 and $16 CO2 tax levels in recognition of
the uncertainty in characterizing emission costs.
A Glossary of Terms and a Glossary of Acronyms from the Supply Side Resource table is
summarized in Table 6.4 and Table 6.5.
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 6 – RESOURCE OPTIONS
112
Table 6.1 - 2013 Supply Side Resource Table (2012$)
Description Resource Characteristics Costs Operating Characteristics Environmental
Net Commercial Design Fixed Average Full Load Water SO2 NOx Hg CO2
Elevation Capacity Operation Life Base Capital Var O&M O&M Heat Rate (HHV EFOR POR Consumed (lbs (lbs (lbs (lbs
Fuel Resource (AFSL)(MW)Year (yrs)($/KW)($/MWh)($/KW-yr)Btu/KWh)/Efficiency (%)(%)(Gal/MWh)/MMBtu)/MMBtu)/TBTu)/MMBtu)
Natural Gas SCCT Aero x3, ISO 0 163 2016 30 1,081 3.50 9.88 9,739 2.6 3.9 56 0.0006 0.018 0.255 118
Natural Gas Intercooled SCCT Aero x1, ISO 0 102 2016 30 1,004 2.92 15.23 8,867 2.9 3.9 78 0.0006 0.018 0.255 118
Natural Gas SCCT Frame "F" x1, ISO 0 203 2016 35 679 8.46 7.73 9,950 2.7 3.9 10 0.0006 0.018 0.255 118
Natural Gas IC Recips x6, ISO 0 117 2016 30 1,204 7.40 15.61 8,447 2.5 5.0 5 0.0006 0.018 0.255 118
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "F", 2x1, ISO 0 609 2017 40 995 2.11 6.13 6,738 2.5 3.8 11 0.0006 0.007 0.255 118
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "F", DF, 2x1, ISO 0 138 2017 40 522 0.08 0.00 8,482 0.8 3.8 11 0.0006 0.007 0.255 118
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "G/H", 1x1, ISO 0 372 2017 40 971 2.53 10.70 6,866 2.5 3.8 11 0.0006 0.008 0.255 118
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "G/H", DF, 1x1, ISO 0 48 2017 40 612 0.08 0.00 8,262 0.8 3.8 11 0.0006 0.008 0.255 118
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "G/H", 2x1, ISO 0 746 2017 40 959 2.44 5.61 6,743 2.5 3.8 11 0.0006 0.008 0.255 118
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "G/H", DF, 2x1, ISO 0 96 2017 40 600 0.07 0.00 8,105 0.8 3.8 11 0.0006 0.008 0.255 118
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "J", Adv 1x1, ISO 0 439 2018 40 931 2.20 9.13 6,495 2.5 3.8 11 0.0006 0.008 0.255 118
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "J", DF, Adv 1x1, ISO 0 43 2018 40 486 0.08 0.00 8,611 0.8 3.8 11 0.0006 0.008 0.255 118
Natural Gas Intercooled SCCT Aero x1 1,500 99 2016 30 1,034 2.99 15.67 8,839 2.9 3.9 80 0.0006 0.018 0.255 118
Natural Gas SCCT Frame "F" x1 1,500 197 2016 35 699 8.71 7.97 9,950 2.7 3.9 20 0.0006 0.018 0.255 118
Natural Gas IC Recips x 6 1,500 112 2016 30 1,253 7.63 16.31 8,447 2.5 3.8 5 0.0006 0.030 0.255 118
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "F", 2x1 1,500 583 2016 40 1,039 2.18 6.43 6,738 2.5 3.8 11 0.0006 0.008 0.255 118
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "F", DF, 2x1 1,500 138 2016 40 522 0.08 0.00 8,482 0.8 3.8 11 0.0006 0.008 0.255 118
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "G/H", 2x1 1,500 715 2017 40 1,000 2.54 5.86 6,773 2.5 3.8 9 0.0006 0.008 0.255 118
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "G/H", DF, 2x1 1,500 96 2017 40 600 0.07 0.00 8,135 0.8 3.8 9 0.0006 0.008 0.255 118
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "J", Adv 1x1 1,500 425 2018 40 962 2.27 9.43 6,495 2.5 3.8 9 0.0006 0.008 0.255 118
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "J", DF, Adv 1x1 1,500 43 2018 40 486 0.08 0.00 8,611 0.8 3.8 9 0.0006 0.008 0.255 118
Natural Gas SCCT Aero x3 4,250 144 2016 30 1,225 3.89 11.11 9,739 2.6 3.9 58 0.0006 0.018 0.255 118
Natural Gas Intercooled SCCT Aero x1 4,250 91 2016 30 1,127 3.23 16.97 8,867 2.9 3.9 80 0.0006 0.018 0.255 118
Natural Gas SCCT Frame "F" x1 4,250 181 2016 35 762 9.48 8.67 9,950 2.7 3.9 20 0.0006 0.018 0.255 118
Natural Gas IC Recips x6 4,250 103 2016 30 1,368 8.15 18.39 8,447 2.5 5.0 5 0.0006 0.030 0.255 118
Natural Gas CCCT Wet "F", 2x1 4,250 545 2017 40 1,104 2.87 8.58 6,666 2.5 3.8 200 0.0006 0.007 0.255 118
Natural Gas CCCT Wet "F", DF, 2x1 4,250 89 2017 40 490 0.32 0.00 7,901 0.8 3.8 200 0.0006 0.007 0.255 118
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "F", 1x1 5,050 255 2017 40 1,253 2.57 13.94 6,815 2.5 3.8 9 0.0006 0.007 0.255 118
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "F", DF, 1x1 5,050 48 2017 40 546 0.08 0.00 8,518 0.8 3.8 9 0.0006 0.007 0.255 118
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "F", 2x1 5,050 523 2017 40 1,159 2.42 7.14 6,738 2.5 3.8 9 0.0006 0.008 0.255 118
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "F", DF, 2x1 5,050 138 2017 40 522 0.08 0.00 8,482 0.8 3.8 9 0.0006 0.008 0.255 118
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "G/H", 1x1 5,050 320 2017 40 1,129 2.94 12.45 6,866 2.5 3.8 9 0.0006 0.008 0.255 118
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "G/H", DF, 1x1 5,050 48 2017 40 612 0.08 0.00 8,262 0.8 3.8 9 0.0006 0.008 0.255 118
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "G/H", 2x1 5,050 640 2017 40 1,118 2.82 6.55 6,743 2.5 3.8 9 0.0006 0.008 0.255 118
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "G/H", DF, 2x1 5,050 96 2017 40 600 0.07 0.00 8,105 0.8 3.8 9 0.0006 0.008 0.255 118
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "J", Adv 1x1 5,050 380 2018 40 1,075 2.54 10.54 6,495 2.5 3.8 9 0.0006 0.008 0.255 118
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "J", DF, Adv 1x1 5,050 43 2018 40 486 0.08 0.00 8,611 0.8 3.8 9 0.0006 0.008 0.255 118
Natural Gas SO Fuel Cell 4,500 5 2018 20 2,090 0.03 8.82 8,061 3 2 2 0.0006 0 0.255 118
Natural Gas Intercooled SCCT Aero x1 6,500 86 2016 30 1,189 3.39 17.91 8,867 2.9 3.9 80 0.0006 0.018 0.255 118
Natural Gas SCCT Frame "F" x1 6,500 172 2016 35 804 10.00 9.13 9,950 2.7 3.9 20 0.0006 0.018 0.255 118
Natural Gas IC Recips x6 6,500 96 2016 30 1,469 8.60 19.03 8,447 2.5 5.0 5 0.0006 0.0295 0.255 118
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "G/H", 2x1 6,500 617 2017 40 1,159 2.92 6.80 6,743 2.5 3.8 9 0.0006 0.008 0.255 118
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "G/H", DF, 2x1 6,500 96 2017 40 600 0.07 0.00 8,105 0.8 3.8 9 0.0006 0.008 0.255 118
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "J", Adv 1x1 6,500 368 2018 40 1,110 2.62 10.88 6,495 2.5 3.8 9 0.0006 0.008 0.255 118
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "J", DF, Adv 1x1 6,500 43 2018 40 486 0.08 0.00 8,611 0.8 3.8 9 0.0006 0.008 0.255 118
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 6 – RESOURCE OPTIONS
113
Table 6.1 - 2013 Supply Side Resource Table (2012$) (Continued)
Description Resource Characteristics Costs Operating Characteristics Environmental
Net Commercial Design Fixed Average Full Load Water SO2 NOx Hg CO2
Elevation Capacity Operation Life Base Capital Var O&M O&M Heat Rate (HHV EFOR POR Consumed (lbs (lbs (lbs (lbs
Fuel Resource (AFSL)(MW)Year (yrs)($/KW)($/MWh)($/KW-yr)Btu/KWh)/Efficiency (%)(%)(Gal/MWh)/MMBtu)/MMBtu)/TBTu)/MMBtu)
Coal SCPC with CCS 4,500 526 2032 40 5,410 6.71 69.22 13,087 5 5 1,004 0.009 0.070 0.022 20.5
Coal SCPC without CCS 4,500 600 2027 40 2,992 0.96 40.65 9,106 4.6 4 600 0.005 0.070 0.022 205.4
Coal IGCC with CCS 4,500 466 2032 40 5,238 11.28 55.78 10,823 8 7 394 0.009 0.050 0.333 20.5
Coal IGCC without CCS 4,500 560 2027 40 3,734 8.39 42.45 8,734 8 7 361 0.013 0.059 0.333 205.4
Coal PC CCS retrofit @ 500 MW 4,500 -139 2029 20 1,188 6.20 74.52 14,372 5 5 1,004 0.005 0.070 1.200 20.5
Coal SCPC with CCS 6,500 692 2032 40 6,126 7.26 64.29 13,242 5 5 1,004 0.009 0.070 0.022 20.5
Coal SCPC without CCS 6,500 790 2027 40 3,388 1.27 37.71 9,214 4.6 4 600 0.005 0.070 0.022 205.4
Coal IGCC with CCS 6,500 456 2032 40 5,931 13.52 60.76 11,047 8 7 394 0.009 0.050 0.333 20.5
Coal IGCC without CCS 6,500 548 2027 40 4,228 10.06 46.24 8,915 8 7 361 0.013 0.059 0.333 205.4
Coal PC CCS retrofit @ 500 MW 6,500 -139 2029 20 1,345 6.71 69.22 14,372 5 5 1,004 0.005 0.070 1.200 20.5
Geothermal Blundell Dual Flash 90% CF 4,500 35 2016 40 4,795 0.98 118.49 na 5 5 1453 0 0 0 0
Geothermal Greenfield Binary 90% CF 4,500 43 2018 40 5,916 0.98 187.85 na 5 5 1453 0 0 0 0
Geothermal Generic Geothermal PPA 90% CF 4,500 30 2016 20 n/a 110.00 n/a na 5 5 1453 0 0 0 0
Wind 2.3 MW turbine 29% CF WA 1,500 100 2017 25 2,365 0.00 33.11 0 Included with CF 0 0 0 0 0
Wind 2.3 MW turbine 29% CF UT 4,500 100 2017 25 2,304 0.00 33.11 0 Included with CF 0 0 0 0 0
Wind 2.3 MW turbine 35% CF WY 6,500 100 2017 25 2,138 0.65 33.11 0 Included with CF 0 0 0 0 0
Wind 2.3 MW turbine 40% CF WY 6,500 200 2017 25 2,257 0.65 33.11 0 Included with CF 0 0 0 0 0
Solar PV Thin Film 21% CF 4,500 2 2014 25 3,476 0.00 51.50 na Included with CF 0 0 0 0 0
Solar PV Poly-Si Fixed Tilt 22% CF 4,500 2 2014 25 3,153 0.00 51.50 na Included with CF 0 0 0 0 0
Solar PV Poly-Si Single Tracking 25% CF 4,500 2 2014 25 3,810 0.00 67.00 na Included with CF 0 0 0 0 0
Solar PV Poly-Si Fixed Tilt 28% CF 4,500 50 2015 25 2,952 0.00 27.81 na Included with CF 0 0 0 0 0
Solar PV Poly-Si Single Tracking 33% CF 4,500 50 2015 25 3,176 0.00 32.55 na Included with CF 0 0 0 0 0
Solar CSP Trough w Natural Gas 4,500 100 2015 30 5,072 0.00 64.00 11,750 Included with CF 725 0 0 0 0
Solar CSP Tower 24% CF 4,500 100 2015 30 4,831 0.00 64.00 na Included with CF 725 0 0 0 0
Solar CSP Tower Molten Salt 30% CF 4,500 100 2015 30 5,796 0.00 64.00 na Included with CF 750 0 0 0 0
Water Hydrokinetic/Wave 40% CF 0 100 2024 20 5,539 0.00 166.17 na na na 0 0 0 0 0
Biomass Forestry Byproduct 1,500 5 2017 30 3,334 0.96 40.65 10,017 5.06 4.4 660 0.1 0.2 0.4 205
Storage Pumped Storage 4,500 1,000 2022 50 3,000 4.30 4.30 77.5%3 1.9 0 0 0 0 0
Storage Lithium Ion Battery 4,500 10 2015 20 8,712 0.00 27.40 91.0%3 1.9 0 0 0 0 0
Storage Sodium-Sulfur Battery 4,500 10 2015 20 4,400 0.00 27.40 72.5%0.3 0 0 0 0 0 0
Storage Vanadium RedOx Battery 4,500 10 2015 20 5,530 0.00 36.53 70.0%2 0 0 0 0 0 0
Storage Advanced Fly Wheel 4,500 10 2015 20 2,406 0.00 96.24 85.0%2 0 0 0 0 0 0
Storage CAES 4,500 557 2017 30 1,751 22.51 33.80 83.5%3.5 3.5 0 0.001 0.011 0.255 118
Nuclear Advanced Fission 4,500 2,236 2025 40 7,093 2.04 88.75 10,710 7.7 7.3 767 0 0 0 0
Nuclear Modular Reactor 4,500 25 2030 40 3,390 1.02 44.38 10,710 7.7 7.3 767 0 0 0 0
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 6 – RESOURCE OPTIONS
114
Table 6.2 – Total Resource Cost for Supply-Side Resource Options, $0 CO2 Tax
$0 CO2 Tax
Supply Side Resource Options
Mid-Calendar Year 2012 Dollars ($)
Resource Description O&M
Capitalized
Premium
O&M
Capitalized
Gas
Transporta
tion Total
SCCT Aero x3, ISO 0 $1,081 8.428%$91.13 9.88 1.34%0.13 32.51 42.52 $133.65
Intercooled SCCT Aero x1, ISO 0 $1,004 8.428%$84.61 15.23 1.40%0.21 29.59 45.04 $129.65
SCCT Frame "F" x1, ISO 0 $679 7.954%$53.98 7.73 1.37%0.11 33.21 41.05 $95.02
IC Recips x6, ISO 0 $1,204 8.428%$101.45 15.61 0.40%0.06 28.19 43.87 $145.31
CCCT Dry "F", 2x1, ISO 0 $995 7.886%$78.43 6.13 1.23%0.08 22.49 28.69 $107.12
CCCT Dry "F", DF, 2x1, ISO 0 $522 7.886%$41.13 0.00 0.00%0.00 28.31 28.31 $69.44
CCCT Dry "G/H", 1x1, ISO 0 $971 7.886%$76.59 10.70 1.96%0.21 22.92 33.83 $110.42
CCCT Dry "G/H", DF, 1x1, ISO 0 $612 7.886%$48.23 0.00 0.00%0.00 27.58 27.58 $75.81
CCCT Dry "G/H", 2x1, ISO 0 $959 7.886%$75.63 5.61 1.86%0.10 22.51 28.22 $103.85
CCCT Dry "G/H", DF, 2x1, ISO 0 $600 7.886%$47.32 0.00 0.00%0.00 27.05 27.05 $74.37
CCCT Dry "J", Adv 1x1, ISO 0 $931 7.886%$73.39 9.13 1.95%0.18 21.68 30.98 $104.37
CCCT Dry "J", DF, Adv 1x1, ISO 0 $486 7.886%$38.36 0.00 0.00%0.00 28.74 28.74 $67.10
Intercooled SCCT Aero x1 1500 $1,034 8.428%$87.12 15.67 1.40%0.22 29.50 45.39 $132.51
SCCT Frame "F" x1 1500 $699 7.954%$55.56 7.97 1.37%0.11 33.21 41.29 $96.85
IC Recips x 6 1500 $1,253 8.428%$105.64 16.31 0.40%0.06 28.19 44.57 $150.21
CCCT Dry "F", 2x1 1500 $1,039 7.886%$81.97 6.43 1.23%0.08 22.49 29.00 $110.96
CCCT Dry "F", DF, 2x1 1500 $522 7.886%$41.13 0.00 0.00%0.00 28.31 28.31 $69.44
CCCT Dry "G/H", 2x1 1500 $1,000 7.886%$78.87 5.86 1.86%0.11 22.61 28.57 $107.45
CCCT Dry "G/H", DF, 2x1 1500 $600 7.886%$47.32 0.00 0.00%0.00 27.15 27.15 $74.47
CCCT Dry "J", Adv 1x1 1500 $962 7.886%$75.83 9.43 1.95%0.18 21.68 31.29 $107.13
CCCT Dry "J", DF, Adv 1x1 1500 $486 7.886%$38.36 0.00 0.00%0.00 28.74 28.74 $67.10
SCCT Aero x3 4250 $1,225 8.428%$103.21 11.11 1.34%0.15 21.95 33.21 $136.42
Intercooled SCCT Aero x1 4250 $1,127 8.428%$94.97 16.97 1.40%0.24 19.99 37.19 $132.16
SCCT Frame "F" x1 4250 $762 7.954%$60.57 8.67 1.37%0.12 22.43 31.22 $91.79
IC Recips x6 4250 $1,368 8.428%$115.31 18.39 0.40%0.07 19.04 37.50 $152.82
CCCT Wet "F", 2x1 4250 $1,104 7.886%$87.05 8.58 0.70%0.06 15.03 23.67 $110.71
CCCT Wet "F", DF, 2x1 4250 $490 7.886%$38.63 0.00 0.00%0.00 17.81 17.81 $56.44
CCCT Dry "F", 1x1 5050 $1,253 7.886%$98.81 13.94 1.29%0.18 15.36 29.49 $128.29
CCCT Dry "F", DF, 1x1 5050 $546 7.886%$43.08 0.00 0.00%0.00 19.20 19.20 $62.28
CCCT Dry "F", 2x1 5050 $1,159 7.886%$91.37 7.14 1.23%0.09 15.19 22.42 $113.79
CCCT Dry "F", DF, 2x1 5050 $522 7.886%$41.13 0.00 0.00%0.00 19.12 19.12 $60.25
CCCT Dry "G/H", 1x1 5050 $1,129 7.886%$89.04 12.45 1.96%0.24 15.48 28.17 $117.21
CCCT Dry "G/H", DF, 1x1 5050 $612 7.886%$48.23 0.00 0.00%0.00 18.62 18.62 $66.86
CCCT Dry "G/H", 2x1 5050 $1,118 7.886%$88.16 6.55 1.86%0.12 15.20 21.87 $110.03
CCCT Dry "G/H", DF, 2x1 5050 $600 7.886%$47.32 0.00 0.00%0.00 18.27 18.27 $65.59
CCCT Dry "J", Adv 1x1 5050 $1,075 7.886%$84.74 10.54 1.95%0.21 14.64 25.39 $110.13
CCCT Dry "J", DF, Adv 1x1 5050 $486 7.886%$38.36 0.00 0.00%0.00 19.41 19.41 $57.77
Elevation
(AFSL)
Capital Cost $/kW Fixed Cost
Total Capital Cost
Payment
Factor
Annual
Payment
($/kW-Yr)
Fixed O&M $/kW-Yr
Total
Fixed
($/kW-Yr)
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 6 – RESOURCE OPTIONS
115
Table 6.2 – Total Resource Cost for Supply-Side Resource Options, $0 CO2 Tax (Continued)
$0 CO2 Tax
Supply Side Resource Options
Mid-Calendar Year 2012 Dollars ($)Credits
Resource Description Capacity
Factor
Total Fixed
(Mills/kWh)
Storage
Efficiency ¢/mmBtu Mills/kWh O&M
Capitalized
Premium
O&M
Capitalized
Integration
Cost
Environmental
PTC Tax
Credits / ITC
(Solar Only)
SCCT Aero x3, ISO 0 21%72.65 na 472 45.97 3.50 6.67%0.23 - - 122.36 - 122.36
Intercooled SCCT Aero x1, ISO 0 21%70.48 na 472 41.85 2.92 6.83%0.20 - - 115.45 - 115.45
SCCT Frame "F" x1, ISO 0 21%51.65 na 472 46.97 8.46 7.80%0.66 - - 107.74 - 107.74
IC Recips x6, ISO 0 21%78.99 na 472 39.87 7.40 4.33%0.32 - - 126.59 - 126.59
CCCT Dry "F", 2x1, ISO 0 56%21.84 na 472 31.80 2.11 7.69%0.16 - - 55.91 - 55.91
CCCT Dry "F", DF, 2x1, ISO 0 16%49.54 na 472 40.04 0.08 0.00%0.00 - - 89.65 - 89.65
CCCT Dry "G/H", 1x1, ISO 0 56%22.51 na 472 32.41 2.53 7.05%0.18 - - 57.63 - 57.63
CCCT Dry "G/H", DF, 1x1, ISO 0 16%54.09 na 472 39.00 0.08 0.00%0.00 - - 93.16 - 93.16
CCCT Dry "G/H", 2x1, ISO 0 56%21.17 na 472 31.83 2.44 7.30%0.18 - - 55.62 - 55.62
CCCT Dry "G/H", DF, 2x1, ISO 0 16%53.06 na 472 38.26 0.07 0.00%0.00 - - 91.39 - 91.39
CCCT Dry "J", Adv 1x1, ISO 0 56%21.28 na 472 30.66 2.20 7.03%0.15 - - 54.29 - 54.29
CCCT Dry "J", DF, Adv 1x1, ISO 0 16%47.87 na 472 40.65 0.08 0.00%0.00 - - 88.60 - 88.60
Intercooled SCCT Aero x1 1500 21%72.03 na 472 41.72 2.99 6.83%0.20 - - 116.95 - 116.95
SCCT Frame "F" x1 1500 21%52.65 na 472 46.97 8.71 7.80%0.68 - - 109.00 - 109.00
IC Recips x 6 1500 21%81.65 na 472 39.87 7.63 4.48%0.34 - - 129.50 - 129.50
CCCT Dry "F", 2x1 1500 56%22.62 na 472 31.80 2.18 7.67%0.17 - - 56.77 - 56.77
CCCT Dry "F", DF, 2x1 1500 16%49.54 na 472 40.04 0.08 0.00%0.00 - - 89.66 - 89.66
CCCT Dry "G/H", 2x1 1500 56%21.90 na 472 31.97 2.54 7.29%0.19 - - 56.60 - 56.60
CCCT Dry "G/H", DF, 2x1 1500 16%53.13 na 472 38.40 0.07 0.00%0.00 - - 91.61 - 91.61
CCCT Dry "J", Adv 1x1 1500 56%21.84 na 472 30.66 2.27 7.01%0.16 - - 54.93 - 54.93
CCCT Dry "J", DF, Adv 1x1 1500 16%47.87 na 472 40.65 0.08 0.00%0.00 - - 88.60 - 88.60
SCCT Aero x3 4250 21%74.16 na 431 42.02 3.89 6.67%0.26 - - 120.33 - 120.33
Intercooled SCCT Aero x1 4250 21%71.84 na 431 38.26 3.23 6.83%0.22 - - 113.55 - 113.55
SCCT Frame "F" x1 4250 21%49.90 na 431 42.93 9.48 7.80%0.74 - - 103.05 - 103.05
IC Recips x6 4250 21%83.07 na 431 36.45 8.15 4.48%0.36 - - 128.03 - 128.03
CCCT Wet "F", 2x1 4250 56%22.57 na 431 28.76 2.87 6.27%0.18 - - 54.38 - 54.38
CCCT Wet "F", DF, 2x1 4250 16%40.27 na 431 34.09 0.32 0.00%0.00 - - 74.68 - 74.68
CCCT Dry "F", 1x1 5050 56%26.15 na 431 29.41 2.57 7.50%0.19 - - 58.33 - 58.33
CCCT Dry "F", DF, 1x1 5050 16%44.44 na 431 36.75 0.08 0.00%0.00 - - 81.27 - 81.27
CCCT Dry "F", 2x1 5050 56%23.20 na 431 29.07 2.42 7.67%0.19 - - 54.87 - 54.87
CCCT Dry "F", DF, 2x1 5050 16%42.98 na 431 36.60 0.08 0.00%0.00 - - 79.66 - 79.66
CCCT Dry "G/H", 1x1 5050 56%23.89 na 431 29.63 2.94 6.99%0.21 - - 56.66 - 56.66
CCCT Dry "G/H", DF, 1x1 5050 16%47.70 na 431 35.65 0.08 0.00%0.00 - - 83.43 - 83.43
CCCT Dry "G/H", 2x1 5050 56%22.43 na 431 29.10 2.82 7.27%0.21 - - 54.55 - 54.55
CCCT Dry "G/H", DF, 2x1 5050 16%46.80 na 431 34.97 0.07 0.00%0.00 - - 81.84 - 81.84
CCCT Dry "J", Adv 1x1 5050 56%22.45 na 431 28.02 2.54 6.98%0.18 - - 53.19 - 53.19
CCCT Dry "J", DF, Adv 1x1 5050 16%41.22 na 431 37.15 0.08 0.00%0.00 - - 78.45 - 78.45
Elevation
(AFSL)
Convert to Mills
Variable Costs
(mills/kWh)
Levelized Fuel
Total Costs and Credits
(Mills/kWh)
Total
Resource Cost
Total Resource
Cost -
With PTC / ITC
Credits
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 6 – RESOURCE OPTIONS
116
Table 6.2 – Total Resource Cost for Supply-Side Resource Options, $0 CO2 Tax (Continued)
$0 CO2 Tax
Supply Side Resource Options
Mid-Calendar Year 2012 Dollars ($)
Resource Description O&M
Capitalized
Premium
O&M
Capitalized
Gas
Transporta
tion Total
Intercooled SCCT Aero x1 6500 $1,189 8.428%$100.24 17.91 1.40%0.25 17.07 35.24 $135.47
SCCT Frame "F" x1 6500 $804 7.954%$63.91 9.13 1.37%0.13 19.16 28.42 $92.33
IC Recips x6 6500 $1,469 8.428%$123.84 19.03 0.40%0.08 16.27 35.37 $159.21
CCCT Dry "G/H", 2x1 6500 $1,159 7.886%$91.40 6.80 1.86%0.13 12.99 19.91 $111.31
CCCT Dry "G/H", DF, 2x1 6500 $600 7.886%$47.32 0.00 0.00%0.00 15.61 15.61 $62.93
CCCT Dry "J", Adv 1x1 6500 $1,110 7.886%$87.54 10.88 1.95%0.21 12.51 23.60 $111.14
CCCT Dry "J", DF, Adv 1x1 6500 $486 7.886%$38.36 0.00 0.00%0.00 16.58 16.58 $54.94
IGCC with CCS 6500 $5,931 7.438%$441.13 60.76 0.00%0.00 0.00 60.76 $501.90
Generic Geothermal PPA 90% CF 4500 $0 6.831%$0.00 735.46 0.00%0.00 0.00 735.46 $735.46
2.3 MW turbine 29% CF WA 1500 $2,365 8.165%$193.12 33.11 1.14%0.38 0.00 33.49 $226.61
2.3 MW turbine 29% CF UT 4500 $2,304 8.165%$188.12 33.11 1.14%0.38 0.00 33.49 $221.61
2.3 MW turbine 40% CF WY 6500 $2,257 8.165%$184.30 33.11 1.14%0.38 0.00 33.49 $217.78
PV Poly-Si Fixed Tilt 22% CF (1.21 MWdc/MWac)4500 $3,153 8.165%$257.48 51.50 2.45%1.26 0.00 52.76 $310.24
PV Poly-Si Fixed Tilt 28% CF (1.37 MWdc/MWac)4500 $2,952 8.165%$241.05 27.81 2.45%0.68 0.00 28.49 $269.54
PV Poly-Si Single Tracking 34% CF (1.34 MWdc/MWac)4500 $3,176 8.165%$259.29 32.55 2.45%0.80 0.00 33.35 $292.64
Forestry Byproduct 1500 $3,334 7.542%$251.45 40.65 5.07%2.06 0.00 42.71 $294.16
Pumped Storage 4500 $3,000 7.459%$223.77 4.30 6.19%0.27 0.00 4.57 $228.34
Sodium-Sulfur Battery 4500 $4,400 8.722%$383.77 27.40 0.00%0.00 0.00 27.40 $411.17
Advanced Fly Wheel 4500 $2,406 8.722%$209.85 96.24 0.00%0.00 0.00 96.24 $306.09
CAES 4500 $1,751 8.428%$147.57 33.80 0.00%0.00 21.95 55.75 $203.33
Advanced Fission 4500 $7,093 7.623%$540.70 88.75 5.79%5.14 0.00 93.89 $634.59
Elevation
(AFSL)
Capital Cost $/kW Fixed Cost
Total Capital Cost
Payment
Factor
Annual
Payment
($/kW-Yr)
Fixed O&M $/kW-Yr
Total
Fixed
($/kW-Yr)
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 6 – RESOURCE OPTIONS
117
Table 6.2 – Total Resource Cost for Supply-Side Resource Options, $0 CO2 Tax (Continued)
$0 CO2 Tax
Supply Side Resource Options
Mid-Calendar Year 2012 Dollars ($)Credits
Resource Description Capacity
Factor
Total Fixed
(Mills/kWh)
Storage
Efficiency ¢/mmBtu Mills/kWh O&M
Capitalized
Premium
O&M
Capitalized
Integration
Cost
Environmental
PTC Tax
Credits / ITC
(Solar Only)
Intercooled SCCT Aero x1 6500 21%73.64 na 431 38.26 3.39 6.83%0.23 - - 115.52 - 115.52
SCCT Frame "F" x1 6500 21%50.19 na 431 42.93 10.00 7.80%0.78 - - 103.90 - 103.90
IC Recips x6 6500 21%86.55 na 431 36.45 8.60 4.48%0.39 - - 131.98 - 131.98
CCCT Dry "G/H", 2x1 6500 56%22.69 na 431 29.10 2.92 7.27%0.21 - - 54.92 - 54.92
CCCT Dry "G/H", DF, 2x1 6500 16%44.90 na 431 34.97 0.07 0.00%0.00 - - 79.94 - 79.94
CCCT Dry "J", Adv 1x1 6500 56%22.66 na 431 28.02 2.62 6.96%0.18 - - 53.48 - 53.48
CCCT Dry "J", DF, Adv 1x1 6500 16%39.20 na 431 37.15 0.08 0.00%0.00 - - 76.43 - 76.43
IGCC with CCS 6500 86%66.96 na 271 29.91 13.52 12.08%1.63 - - 112.02 - 112.02
Generic Geothermal PPA 90% CF 4500 90%93.28 na - - 11.00 0.00%0.00 - - 104.29 - 104.29
2.3 MW turbine 29% CF WA 1500 29%89.20 na - - 0.00 0.00%0.00 2.55 - 91.76 (19.48)72.28
2.3 MW turbine 29% CF UT 4500 29%87.23 na - - 0.00 0.00%0.00 2.55 - 89.79 (19.48)70.31
2.3 MW turbine 40% CF WY 6500 40%62.15 na - - 0.65 0.00%0.00 2.55 - 65.36 (19.48)45.88
PV Poly-Si Fixed Tilt 22% CF (1.21 MWdc/MWac)4500 22%160.98 na - - 0.00 0.00%0.00 0.64 - 161.62 (19.91) 141.70
PV Poly-Si Fixed Tilt 28% CF (1.37 MWdc/MWac)4500 28%108.69 na - - 0.00 0.00%0.00 0.64 - 109.33 (14.49) 94.84
PV Poly-Si Single Tracking 34% CF (1.34 MWdc/MWac)4500 34%98.86 na - - 0.00 0.00%0.00 0.64 - 99.50 (13.06) 86.45
Forestry Byproduct 1500 91%37.00 na 512 51.29 0.96 0.00%0.00 - - 89.25 (17.86)71.39
Pumped Storage 4500 42%62.56 77.5%472 59.32 4.30 0.00%0.00 - - 126.18 - 126.18
Sodium-Sulfur Battery 4500 25%187.75 72.5%472 63.41 0.00 0.00%0.00 - - 251.16 - 251.16
Advanced Fly Wheel 4500 5%698.84 85.0%472 54.09 0.00 0.00%0.00 - - 752.93 - 752.93
CAES 4500 33%69.63 83.5%472 55.06 22.51 10.29%2.32 - - 149.52 - 149.52
Advanced Fission 4500 86%84.67 na 85 9.11 2.04 0.00%0.00 - - 95.82 - 95.82
Elevation
(AFSL)
Convert to Mills
Variable Costs
(mills/kWh)
Levelized Fuel
Total Costs and Credits
(Mills/kWh)
Total
Resource Cost
Total Resource
Cost -
With PTC / ITC
Credits
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 6 – RESOURCE OPTIONS
118
Table 6.3 – Total Resource Cost for Supply-Side Resource Options, $16 CO2 Tax
$16 CO2 Tax
Supply Side Resource Options
Mid-Calendar Year 2012 Dollars ($)
Resource Description O&M
Capitalized
Premium
O&M
Capitalized
Gas
Transporta
tion Total
SCCT Aero x3, ISO 0 $1,081 8.428%$91.13 9.88 1.34%0.13 32.51 42.52 $133.65
Intercooled SCCT Aero x1, ISO 0 $1,004 8.428%$84.61 15.23 1.40%0.21 29.59 45.04 $129.65
SCCT Frame "F" x1, ISO 0 $679 7.954%$53.98 7.73 1.37%0.11 33.21 41.05 $95.02
IC Recips x6, ISO 0 $1,204 8.428%$101.45 15.61 0.40%0.06 28.19 43.87 $145.31
CCCT Dry "F", 2x1, ISO 0 $995 7.886%$78.43 6.13 1.23%0.08 22.49 28.69 $107.12
CCCT Dry "F", DF, 2x1, ISO 0 $522 7.886%$41.13 0.00 0.00%0.00 28.31 28.31 $69.44
CCCT Dry "G/H", 1x1, ISO 0 $971 7.886%$76.59 10.70 1.96%0.21 22.92 33.83 $110.42
CCCT Dry "G/H", DF, 1x1, ISO 0 $612 7.886%$48.23 0.00 0.00%0.00 27.58 27.58 $75.81
CCCT Dry "G/H", 2x1, ISO 0 $959 7.886%$75.63 5.61 1.86%0.10 22.51 28.22 $103.85
CCCT Dry "G/H", DF, 2x1, ISO 0 $600 7.886%$47.32 0.00 0.00%0.00 27.05 27.05 $74.37
CCCT Dry "J", Adv 1x1, ISO 0 $931 7.886%$73.39 9.13 1.95%0.18 21.68 30.98 $104.37
CCCT Dry "J", DF, Adv 1x1, ISO 0 $486 7.886%$38.36 0.00 0.00%0.00 28.74 28.74 $67.10
Intercooled SCCT Aero x1 1500 $1,034 8.428%$87.12 15.67 1.40%0.22 29.50 45.39 $132.51
SCCT Frame "F" x1 1500 $699 7.954%$55.56 7.97 1.37%0.11 33.21 41.29 $96.85
IC Recips x 6 1500 $1,253 8.428%$105.64 16.31 0.40%0.06 28.19 44.57 $150.21
CCCT Dry "F", 2x1 1500 $1,039 7.886%$81.97 6.43 1.23%0.08 22.49 29.00 $110.96
CCCT Dry "F", DF, 2x1 1500 $522 7.886%$41.13 0.00 0.00%0.00 28.31 28.31 $69.44
CCCT Dry "G/H", 2x1 1500 $1,000 7.886%$78.87 5.86 1.86%0.11 22.61 28.57 $107.45
CCCT Dry "G/H", DF, 2x1 1500 $600 7.886%$47.32 0.00 0.00%0.00 27.15 27.15 $74.47
CCCT Dry "J", Adv 1x1 1500 $962 7.886%$75.83 9.43 1.95%0.18 21.68 31.29 $107.13
CCCT Dry "J", DF, Adv 1x1 1500 $486 7.886%$38.36 0.00 0.00%0.00 28.74 28.74 $67.10
SCCT Aero x3 4250 $1,225 8.428%$103.21 11.11 1.34%0.15 21.95 33.21 $136.42
Intercooled SCCT Aero x1 4250 $1,127 8.428%$94.97 16.97 1.40%0.24 19.99 37.19 $132.16
SCCT Frame "F" x1 4250 $762 7.954%$60.57 8.67 1.37%0.12 22.43 31.22 $91.79
IC Recips x6 4250 $1,368 8.428%$115.31 18.39 0.40%0.07 19.04 37.50 $152.82
CCCT Wet "F", 2x1 4250 $1,104 7.886%$87.05 8.58 0.70%0.06 15.03 23.67 $110.71
CCCT Wet "F", DF, 2x1 4250 $490 7.886%$38.63 0.00 0.00%0.00 17.81 17.81 $56.44
CCCT Dry "F", 1x1 5050 $1,253 7.886%$98.81 13.94 1.29%0.18 15.36 29.49 $128.29
CCCT Dry "F", DF, 1x1 5050 $546 7.886%$43.08 0.00 0.00%0.00 19.20 19.20 $62.28
CCCT Dry "F", 2x1 5050 $1,159 7.886%$91.37 7.14 1.23%0.09 15.19 22.42 $113.79
CCCT Dry "F", DF, 2x1 5050 $522 7.886%$41.13 0.00 0.00%0.00 19.12 19.12 $60.25
CCCT Dry "G/H", 1x1 5050 $1,129 7.886%$89.04 12.45 1.96%0.24 15.48 28.17 $117.21
CCCT Dry "G/H", DF, 1x1 5050 $612 7.886%$48.23 0.00 0.00%0.00 18.62 18.62 $66.86
CCCT Dry "G/H", 2x1 5050 $1,118 7.886%$88.16 6.55 1.86%0.12 15.20 21.87 $110.03
CCCT Dry "G/H", DF, 2x1 5050 $600 7.886%$47.32 0.00 0.00%0.00 18.27 18.27 $65.59
CCCT Dry "J", Adv 1x1 5050 $1,075 7.886%$84.74 10.54 1.95%0.21 14.64 25.39 $110.13
CCCT Dry "J", DF, Adv 1x1 5050 $486 7.886%$38.36 0.00 0.00%0.00 19.41 19.41 $57.77
Intercooled SCCT Aero x1 6500 $1,189 8.428%$100.24 17.91 1.40%0.25 17.07 35.24 $135.47
SCCT Frame "F" x1 6500 $804 7.954%$63.91 9.13 1.37%0.13 19.16 28.42 $92.33
IC Recips x6 6500 $1,469 8.428%$123.84 19.03 0.40%0.08 16.27 35.37 $159.21
CCCT Dry "G/H", 2x1 6500 $1,159 7.886%$91.40 6.80 1.86%0.13 12.99 19.91 $111.31
CCCT Dry "G/H", DF, 2x1 6500 $600 7.886%$47.32 0.00 0.00%0.00 15.61 15.61 $62.93
CCCT Dry "J", Adv 1x1 6500 $1,110 7.886%$87.54 10.88 1.95%0.21 12.51 23.60 $111.14
CCCT Dry "J", DF, Adv 1x1 6500 $486 7.886%$38.36 0.00 0.00%0.00 16.58 16.58 $54.94
Elevation
(AFSL)
Capital Cost $/kW Fixed Cost
Total Capital Cost
Payment
Factor
Annual
Payment
($/kW-Yr)
Fixed O&M $/kW-Yr
Total
Fixed
($/kW-Yr)
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 6 – RESOURCE OPTIONS
119
Table 6.3 – Total Resource Cost for Supply-Side Resource Options, $16 CO2 Tax (Continued)
$16 CO2 Tax
Supply Side Resource Options
Mid-Calendar Year 2012 Dollars ($)Credits
Resource Description Capacity
Factor
Total Fixed
(Mills/kWh)
Storage
Efficiency ¢/mmBtu Mills/kWh O&M
Capitalized
Premium
O&M
Capitalized
Integration
Cost
Environmental
PTC Tax
Credits / ITC
(Solar Only)
SCCT Aero x3, ISO 0 21%72.65 na 498 48.47 3.50 6.67%0.23 - 3.86 128.72 - 128.72
Intercooled SCCT Aero x1, ISO 0 21%70.48 na 498 44.13 2.92 6.83%0.20 - 3.52 121.24 - 121.24
SCCT Frame "F" x1, ISO 0 21%51.65 na 498 49.52 8.46 7.80%0.66 - 3.95 114.24 - 114.24
IC Recips x6, ISO 0 21%78.99 na 498 42.04 7.40 4.33%0.32 - 3.35 132.10 - 132.10
CCCT Dry "F", 2x1, ISO 0 56%21.84 na 498 33.53 2.11 7.69%0.16 - 2.67 60.31 - 60.31
CCCT Dry "F", DF, 2x1, ISO 0 16%49.54 na 498 42.21 0.08 0.00%0.00 - 3.36 95.19 - 95.19
CCCT Dry "G/H", 1x1, ISO 0 56%22.51 na 498 34.17 2.53 7.05%0.18 - 2.72 62.12 - 62.12
CCCT Dry "G/H", DF, 1x1, ISO 0 16%54.09 na 498 41.12 0.08 0.00%0.00 - 3.28 98.56 - 98.56
CCCT Dry "G/H", 2x1, ISO 0 56%21.17 na 498 33.56 2.44 7.30%0.18 - 2.67 60.02 - 60.02
CCCT Dry "G/H", DF, 2x1, ISO 0 16%53.06 na 498 40.34 0.07 0.00%0.00 - 3.21 96.69 - 96.69
CCCT Dry "J", Adv 1x1, ISO 0 56%21.28 na 498 32.32 2.20 7.03%0.15 - 2.58 58.53 - 58.53
CCCT Dry "J", DF, Adv 1x1, ISO 0 16%47.87 na 498 42.86 0.08 0.00%0.00 - 3.41 94.22 - 94.22
Intercooled SCCT Aero x1 1500 21%72.03 na 498 43.99 2.99 6.83%0.20 - 3.51 122.73 - 122.73
SCCT Frame "F" x1 1500 21%52.65 na 498 49.52 8.71 7.80%0.68 - 3.95 115.50 - 115.50
IC Recips x 6 1500 21%81.65 na 498 42.04 7.63 4.48%0.34 - 3.35 135.02 - 135.02
CCCT Dry "F", 2x1 1500 56%22.62 na 498 33.53 2.18 7.67%0.17 - 2.67 61.17 - 61.17
CCCT Dry "F", DF, 2x1 1500 16%49.54 na 498 42.21 0.08 0.00%0.00 - 3.36 95.20 - 95.20
CCCT Dry "G/H", 2x1 1500 56%21.90 na 498 33.71 2.54 7.29%0.19 - 2.69 61.02 - 61.02
CCCT Dry "G/H", DF, 2x1 1500 16%53.13 na 498 40.49 0.07 0.00%0.00 - 3.23 96.92 - 96.92
CCCT Dry "J", Adv 1x1 1500 56%21.84 na 498 32.32 2.27 7.01%0.16 - 2.58 59.17 - 59.17
CCCT Dry "J", DF, Adv 1x1 1500 16%47.87 na 498 42.86 0.08 0.00%0.00 - 3.41 94.22 - 94.22
SCCT Aero x3 4250 21%74.16 na 472 45.97 3.89 6.67%0.26 - 3.86 128.15 - 128.15
Intercooled SCCT Aero x1 4250 21%71.84 na 472 41.85 3.23 6.83%0.22 - 3.52 120.66 - 120.66
SCCT Frame "F" x1 4250 21%49.90 na 472 46.97 9.48 7.80%0.74 - 3.95 111.03 - 111.03
IC Recips x6 4250 21%83.07 na 472 39.87 8.15 4.48%0.36 - 3.35 134.81 - 134.81
CCCT Wet "F", 2x1 4250 56%22.57 na 472 31.46 2.87 6.27%0.18 - 2.64 59.73 - 59.73
CCCT Wet "F", DF, 2x1 4250 16%40.27 na 472 37.30 0.32 0.00%0.00 - 3.13 81.02 - 81.02
CCCT Dry "F", 1x1 5050 56%26.15 na 472 32.17 2.57 7.50%0.19 - 2.70 63.79 - 63.79
CCCT Dry "F", DF, 1x1 5050 16%44.44 na 472 40.21 0.08 0.00%0.00 - 3.38 88.10 - 88.10
CCCT Dry "F", 2x1 5050 56%23.20 na 472 31.80 2.42 7.67%0.19 - 2.67 60.27 - 60.27
CCCT Dry "F", DF, 2x1 5050 16%42.98 na 472 40.04 0.08 0.00%0.00 - 3.36 86.46 - 86.46
CCCT Dry "G/H", 1x1 5050 56%23.89 na 472 32.41 2.94 6.99%0.21 - 2.72 62.17 - 62.17
CCCT Dry "G/H", DF, 1x1 5050 16%47.70 na 472 39.00 0.08 0.00%0.00 - 3.28 90.05 - 90.05
CCCT Dry "G/H", 2x1 5050 56%22.43 na 472 31.83 2.82 7.27%0.21 - 2.67 59.96 - 59.96
CCCT Dry "G/H", DF, 2x1 5050 16%46.80 na 472 38.26 0.07 0.00%0.00 - 3.21 88.34 - 88.34
CCCT Dry "J", Adv 1x1 5050 56%22.45 na 472 30.66 2.54 6.98%0.18 - 2.58 58.40 - 58.40
CCCT Dry "J", DF, Adv 1x1 5050 16%41.22 na 472 40.65 0.08 0.00%0.00 - 3.41 85.36 - 85.36
Intercooled SCCT Aero x1 6500 21%73.64 na 472 41.85 3.39 6.83%0.23 - 3.52 122.63 - 122.63
SCCT Frame "F" x1 6500 21%50.19 na 472 46.97 10.00 7.80%0.78 - 3.95 111.88 - 111.88
IC Recips x6 6500 21%86.55 na 472 39.87 8.60 4.48%0.39 - 3.35 138.76 - 138.76
CCCT Dry "G/H", 2x1 6500 56%22.69 na 472 31.83 2.92 7.27%0.21 - 2.67 60.33 - 60.33
CCCT Dry "G/H", DF, 2x1 6500 16%44.90 na 472 38.26 0.07 0.00%0.00 - 3.21 86.44 - 86.44
CCCT Dry "J", Adv 1x1 6500 56%22.66 na 472 30.66 2.62 6.96%0.18 - 2.58 58.69 - 58.69
CCCT Dry "J", DF, Adv 1x1 6500 16%39.20 na 472 40.65 0.08 0.00%0.00 - 3.41 83.34 - 83.34
Elevation
(AFSL)
Convert to Mills
Variable Costs
(mills/kWh)
Levelized Fuel
Total Costs and Credits
(Mills/kWh)
Total
Resource Cost
Total Resource
Cost -
With PTC / ITC
Credits
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 6 – RESOURCE OPTIONS
120
Table 6.3 – Total Resource Cost for Supply-Side Resource Options, $16 CO2 Tax (Continued)
$16 CO2 Tax
Supply Side Resource Options
Mid-Calendar Year 2012 Dollars ($)
Resource Description O&M
Capitalized
Premium
O&M
Capitalized
Gas
Transporta
tion Total
IGCC with CCS 6500 $5,931 7.438%$441.13 60.76 0.00%0.00 0.00 60.76 $501.90
Generic Geothermal PPA 90% CF 4500 $0 6.831%$0.00 735.46 0.00%0.00 0.00 735.46 $735.46
2.3 MW turbine 29% CF WA 1500 $2,365 8.165%$193.12 33.11 1.14%0.38 0.00 33.49 $226.61
2.3 MW turbine 29% CF UT 4500 $2,304 8.165%$188.12 33.11 1.14%0.38 0.00 33.49 $221.61
2.3 MW turbine 40% CF WY 6500 $2,257 8.165%$184.30 33.11 1.14%0.38 0.00 33.49 $217.78
PV Poly-Si Fixed Tilt 22% CF (1.21 MWdc/MWac)4500 $3,153 8.165%$257.48 51.50 2.45%1.26 0.00 52.76 $310.24
PV Poly-Si Fixed Tilt 28% CF (1.37 MWdc/MWac)4500 $2,952 8.165%$241.05 27.81 2.45%0.68 0.00 28.49 $269.54
PV Poly-Si Single Tracking 34% CF (1.34 MWdc/MWac)4500 $3,176 8.165%$259.29 32.55 2.45%0.80 0.00 33.35 $292.64
Forestry Byproduct 1500 $3,334 7.542%$251.45 40.65 5.07%2.06 0.00 42.71 $294.16
Pumped Storage 4500 $3,000 7.459%$223.77 4.30 6.19%0.27 0.00 4.57 $228.34
Sodium-Sulfur Battery 4500 $4,400 8.722%$383.77 27.40 0.00%0.00 0.00 27.40 $411.17
Advanced Fly Wheel 4500 $2,406 8.722%$209.85 96.24 0.00%0.00 0.00 96.24 $306.09
CAES 4500 $1,751 8.428%$147.57 33.80 0.00%0.00 21.95 55.75 $203.33
Advanced Fission 4500 $7,093 7.623%$540.70 88.75 5.79%5.14 0.00 93.89 $634.59
Elevation
(AFSL)
Capital Cost $/kW Fixed Cost
Total Capital Cost
Payment
Factor
Annual
Payment
($/kW-Yr)
Fixed O&M $/kW-Yr
Total
Fixed
($/kW-Yr)
$16 CO2 Tax
Supply Side Resource Options
Mid-Calendar Year 2012 Dollars ($)Credits
Resource Description
Capacity
Factor
Total Fixed
(Mills/kWh)
Storage
Efficiency ¢/mmBtu Mills/kWh O&M
Capitalized
Premium
O&M
Capitalized
Integration
Cost
Environmental
PTC Tax
Credits / ITC
(Solar Only)
IGCC with CCS 6500 86%66.96 na 271 29.91 13.52 12.08%1.63 - 0.76 112.79 - 112.79
Generic Geothermal PPA 90% CF 4500 90%93.28 na - - 11.00 0.00%0.00 - - 104.29 - 104.29
2.3 MW turbine 29% CF WA 1500 29%89.20 na - - 0.00 0.00%0.00 2.55 - 91.76 (19.48)72.28
2.3 MW turbine 29% CF UT 4500 29%87.23 na - - 0.00 0.00%0.00 2.55 - 89.79 (19.48)70.31
2.3 MW turbine 40% CF WY 6500 40%62.15 na - - 0.65 0.00%0.00 2.55 - 65.36 (19.48)45.88
PV Poly-Si Fixed Tilt 22% CF (1.21 MWdc/MWac)4500 22%160.98 na - - 0.00 0.00%0.00 0.64 - 161.62 (19.91) 141.70
PV Poly-Si Fixed Tilt 28% CF (1.37 MWdc/MWac)4500 28%108.69 na - - 0.00 0.00%0.00 0.64 - 109.33 (14.49) 94.84
PV Poly-Si Single Tracking 34% CF (1.34 MWdc/MWac)4500 34%98.86 na - - 0.00 0.00%0.00 0.64 - 99.50 (13.06) 86.45
Forestry Byproduct 1500 91%37.00 na 512 51.29 0.96 0.00%0.00 - 6.90 96.15 (17.86)78.29
Pumped Storage 4500 42%62.56 77.5%472 59.32 4.30 0.00%0.00 - - 126.18 - 126.18
Sodium-Sulfur Battery 4500 25%187.75 72.5%472 63.41 0.00 0.00%0.00 - - 251.16 - 251.16
Advanced Fly Wheel 4500 5%698.84 85.0%472 54.09 0.00 0.00%0.00 - - 752.93 - 752.93
CAES 4500 33%69.63 83.5%472 55.06 22.51 10.29%2.32 - 3.86 153.38 - 153.38
Advanced Fission 4500 86%84.67 na 85 9.11 2.04 0.00%0.00 - - 95.82 - 95.82
Elevation
(AFSL)
Convert to Mills
Variable Costs
(mills/kWh)
Levelized Fuel
Total Costs and Credits
(Mills/kWh)
Total
Resource Cost
Total Resource
Cost -
With PTC / ITC
Credits
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 6 – RESOURCE OPTIONS
121
Table 6.4- Glossary of Terms from Supply Side Resource Table
Term Description
Fuel: Primary fuel used for electricity generation or storage.
Resource: Primary technology used for electricity generation or storage.
Elevation (afsl): Average feet above sea level for the proxy site for the given resource.
Net Capacity (MW):
Net dependable capacity is the net electrical output for a given technology at
the given elevation and annual average ambient temperature in a "new and
clean" condition.
Commercial Operation
Year:
First year the resource could be placed in service; available for generation and
dispatch.
Design Life (yrs):
Average number of years the resource is expected to be "used and useful",
based on various factors such as OEM guarantees, fuel availability and
environmental regulations.
Base Capital ($/kW):
Total capital expenditure in $/kW for the development and construction of a
resource, including direct costs (equipment, buildings, installation/overnight
construction, commissioning, EPC fees/profit, and contingency), owner's costs
(land acquisition, water rights, air permitting, rights of way, design
engineering, spare parts, project management costs, legal/financial costs, grid
interconnection costs, owner’s contingency), and financial costs (AFUDC,
capital surcharge, property taxes, escalation).)
Var O&M ($/MWh):
Includes real levelized variable operating costs such as combustion turbine
maintenance, raw water costs, boiler water/circulating water treatment
chemicals, pollution control chemicals, equipment maintenance chemicals, and
fired hour fee.
Fixed O&M ($/KW-
yr):
Includes fixed operating costs: labor costs, combustion turbine fixed
maintenance fees, contracted services fees, office equipment, training.
Full Load Heat Rate
HHV (Btu/KWh):
Efficiency of a resource to generate electricity for a given heat input in a "new
and clean" condition.
EFOR (%): Estimated Equivalent Forced Outage Rate, which includes forced outages and
derates, for a given resource at the given site.
POR (%): Estimated Planned Outage Rate for a given resource at the given site.
Water Consumed
(gal/MWh):
Average amount of water consumed by a resource for make-up, cooling water
make-up, inlet conditioning and pollution control.
SO2 (lbs/MMBtu): Expected permitted level of sulfur dioxide emissions in pounds of sulfur
dioxide per million Btu of heat input.
NOx (lbs/MMBtu): Expected permitted level of nitrogen oxides (expressed as NO2) in pounds of
NOx per million Btu of heat input.
Hg (lbs/TBtu): Expected permitted level of mercury emissions in pounds per trillion Btu of
heat input.
CO2 (lbs/MMBtu): Pounds of carbon dioxide emitted per million Btu of heat input.
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 6 – RESOURCE OPTIONS
122
Table 6.5 – Glossary of Acronyms Used in the Supply Side Resource Table
Acronyms Description
Adv: Advanced (Combined Cycle Combustion Turbine)
AFSL: Average Feet (Above) Sea Level
CAES: Compressed Air Energy Storage
CCCT: Combined Cycle Combustion Turbine
CCS: Carbon Capture and Sequestration
CF: Capacity Factor
CSP: Concentrated Solar Power
DF: Duct Firing
IC: Internal Combustion
IGCC: Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle
ISO: International Organization for Standardization (Temp = 59 F/15 C, Pressure =
14.7 psia/1.013 bar)
PC CCS: Pulverized Coal-Carbon Capture and Sequestration
PV Poly-Si: Photovoltaic cells constructed from poly-crystalline silicon semiconductor
wafers
Recip: Reciprocating Engine
SCCT: Simple Cycle Combustion Turbine
SCPC: Super-Critical Pulverized Coal
SO: Solid Oxide (Fuel Cell)
Some important factors that apply to the Supply Side Resource Tables are listed below:
Capital costs are all-inclusive and include Allowance for Funds Used During
Construction (AFUDC), land, EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) cost
premiums, owner’s costs, etc. Capital costs in Table 6.5 reflect mid-2012 dollars, and do
not include escalation from mid-year to the year of commercial operation.
Costs of energy for solar resources include investment tax credits. Hybrid solar with
natural gas backup would not qualify for investment tax credits.
Wind, hydrokinetic, biomass, and geothermal resources are assumed to qualify for
Production Tax Credits (PTC), depending on the installation date.
Capital costs include interconnection costs to the transmission system (switchyard and
other upgrades needed to interconnect the resource to PacifiCorp’s transmission network)
but do not include transmission system network upgrades.
For the nuclear resource, capital costs include the cost of storing spent fuel on-site during
the life of the facility. Costs for ultimate off-site disposal of spent fuel are not included.
Wind resources are representative generic resources included in the IRP models for
planning purposes. Cost and performance attributes of specific resources are identified as
part of the acquisition process. An estimate for wind integration costs, $2.55/MWh, has
been added to variable O&M cost.
State specific tax benefits are excluded from the IRP supply side table but would be
considered in the evaluation of a specific project.
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 6 – RESOURCE OPTIONS
123
A sensitivity analysis was prepared for three Natural Gas-fired Combined Cycle Combustion
Turbine resource options at varying capacity factors. Table 6.6 shows the total resource cost
results for this analysis.
Table 6.6 – Total Resource Cost, Natural Gas-fired plants at varying Capacity Factors
(2012$)
Total Resource Cost (Mills/kWh)
Capacity Factor CCCT 40%56%80%
Capacity Factor Duct Fire 10%16%22%
CCCT Wet "F", 2x1 4250 $68.75 $59.73 $52.96
CCCT Wet "F", DF, 2x1 4250 $105.18 $81.02 $70.04
CCCT Dry "F", 1x1 5050 $74.25 $63.79 $55.95
CCCT Dry "F", DF, 1x1 5050 $114.76 $88.10 $75.98
CCCT Dry "F", 2x1 5050 $69.55 $60.27 $53.32
CCCT Dry "F", DF, 2x1 5050 $112.25 $86.46 $74.74
CCCT Dry "G/H", 1x1 5050 $71.73 $62.17 $55.00
CCCT Dry "G/H", DF, 1x1 5050 $118.67 $90.05 $77.04
CCCT Dry "G/H", 2x1 5050 $68.93 $59.96 $53.23
CCCT Dry "G/H", DF, 2x1 5050 $116.42 $88.34 $75.58
CCCT Dry "J", Adv 1x1 5050 $67.38 $58.40 $51.66
CCCT Dry "J", DF, Adv 1x1 5050 $110.09 $85.36 $74.12
Elevation
(AFSL)
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 6 – RESOURCE OPTIONS
124
Distributed Generation
Table 6.7 presents cost and performance attributes for small combined heart and power and solar
resource options.
Tables 6.8 and 6.9 present the total resource cost attributes for small combined heat and power and
solar resource options, and are based on estimates of the first-year real levelized cost per megawatt-
hour of resources, stated in June 2012 dollars. The resource costs are presented for both the $0 and $16
CO2 tax levels in recognition of the uncertainty in characterizing emission costs. Additional
explanatory notes for the tables are as follows:
Administrative costs, representing the estimated cost of delivering a program to end-use customers,
are included for solar photovoltaic and water heating systems. Small combined heart and power are
considered qualifying facilities as such do not include administrative or interconnection costs.
As available, federal tax benefits are included for the following resources based on a percent of
capital cost.
- Reciprocating Engine 10 percent
- Microturbine 10 percent
- Fuel Cell 30 percent
- Gas Turbine 10 percent
- Industrial Biomass 10 percent
- Anaerobic Digesters 10 percent
The resource cost for Industrial Biomass is based on data from The Cadmus Group, Inc. (Cadmus).
The fuel is assumed to be provided by the project owner at no cost, a conservative assumption. In
reality, the cost to the Company would be each state’s filed avoided cost rate.
Installation costs for on-site (“micro”) solar generation technologies are treated on a total resource
cost basis; that is, customer installation costs are included. If available, capital costs are adjusted
downward to reflect federal tax credits of 30 percent of installed system costs. Conversely, no
adjustment is made for state tax incentives as these are not included in the Total Resource Cost test
that sees the incentive as a benefit to customers but also as a cost to the state’s tax payers, making
the net effect zero. In Utah, these resources are assessed on a Utility Cost Test basis, considering
only utility incentives and program administrative
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 6 – RESOURCE OPTIONS
125
Table 6.7- Distributed Generation Resource Supply-Side Options
Supply-side Resource Options
Mid-Calendar Year 2012 Dollars ($)
Resource Description Installation Location
Earliest In-
Service
Date
(Middle of
year)
Average
Capacity MW Fuel
Design
Plant Life
in Years
Annual
Average
Heat Rate
HHV
BTU/kWh
Maint.
Outage
Rate
Equivalent
Forced
Outage Rate
Base Capital
Cost in $/kW
Var. O&M,
$/MWh
Fixed
O&M in
$/kW-yr
SO2 in
lbs/MMBt
u
NOx in
lbs/MMBt
u
Hg in
lbs/trillion
Btu
CO2 in
lbs/mmBtu
Reciprocating Engine Idaho 2013 0.40 Natural Gas 20 8,000 2%3%1,495$ - 47.41$ 0.001 0.101 0.255 118.00
Reciprocating Engine Utah 2013 6.61 Natural Gas 20 8,000 2%3%1,495$ - 47.41$ 0.001 0.101 0.255 118.00
Reciprocating Engine Oregon / California 2013 1.04 Natural Gas 20 8,000 2%3%1,495$ - 47.41$ 0.001 0.101 0.255 118.00
Reciprocating Engine Washington 2013 1.28 Natural Gas 20 8,000 2%3%1,495$ - 47.41$ 0.001 0.101 0.255 118.00
Reciprocating Engine Wyoming 2013 0.89 Natural Gas 20 8,000 2%3%1,495$ - 47.41$ 0.001 0.101 0.255 118.00
Gas Turbine Idaho 2013 0.14 Natural Gas 20 6,300 2%3%1,757$ - 55.42$ 0.001 0.050 0.255 118.00
Gas Turbine Utah 2013 1.90 Natural Gas 20 6,300 2%3%1,757$ - 55.42$ 0.001 0.050 0.255 118.00
Gas Turbine Oregon 2013 0.27 Natural Gas 20 6,300 2%3%1,757$ - 55.42$ 0.001 0.050 0.255 118.00
Gas Turbine Washington 2013 0.13 Natural Gas 20 6,300 2%3%1,757$ - 55.42$ 0.001 0.050 0.255 118.00
Gas Turbine Wyoming 2013 0.30 Natural Gas 20 6,300 2%3%1,757$ - 55.42$ 0.001 0.050 0.255 118.00
Microturbine Utah 2013 0.95 Natural Gas 10 8,000 2%3%2,168$ - 63.42$ 0.001 0.101 0.255 118.00
Fuel Cell Utah 2013 0.47 Natural Gas 10 6,100 2%3%3,673$ - 186.91$ 0.001 0.003 0.255 118.00
Commercial Biomass, Anaerobic Digester Utah 2013 0.20 Biomass 25 - 10%10%2,452$ - 61.78$ ----
Commercial Biomass, Anaerobic Digester Wyoming 2013 0.16 Biomass 25 - 10%10%2,452$ - 61.78$ ----
Industrial Biomass, Waste Utah 2013 0.16 Biomass 25 - 5%5%631$ - 28.82$ ----
Industrial Biomass, Waste Oregon / California 2013 0.55 Biomass 25 - 5%5%631$ - 28.82$ ----
Rooftop Photovoltaic (Utility Cost)Utah 2013 13.116 Solar 30 -902$ - - ----
Rooftop Photovoltaic Wyoming 2013 0.291 Solar 30 -4,693$ - 20.47$ ----
Rooftop Photovoltaic Oregon / California 2013 7.613 Solar 30 -4,753$ - 20.47$ ----
Rooftop Photovoltaic Idaho 2013 0.148 Solar 30 -4,693$ - 20.47$ ----
Rooftop Photovoltaic Washington 2013 0.154 Solar 30 -4,693$ - 20.47$ ----
Water Heaters (Utility Cost)Utah 2013 1.531 Solar 20 -194$ - - ----
Water Heaters Oregon 2013 2.159 Solar 20 -1,600$ - 20.36$ ----
Small Combined Heat & Power
Location / Timing Plant Details Outage Information Costs Emissions
Solar
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 6 – RESOURCE OPTIONS
126
Table 6.8 – Distributed Generation Total Resource Cost, $0 CO2 Tax
$0 CO2 Tax Capital Cost $/kW
Supply-side Resource Options
Mid-Calendar Year 2012 Dollars ($)
Resource Description
Tax
Incentive O&M
Capacity
Factor
Total Fixed
(Mills/kWh) ¢/mmBtu Mills/kWh O&M
Gas
Transportation Environmental
Tax
Incentive
(Mills/kWh)
Reciprocating Engine Idaho 166$ 1,495$ 10.61%158.65$ 47.41$ 206.07$ 40%58.81 431.47 34.52 - 2.06$ - 95.39$ 5.03$ 100.42$
Reciprocating Engine Utah 166$ 1,495$ 10.61%158.65$ 47.41$ 206.07$ 40%58.81 431.47 34.52 - 2.06$ - 95.39$ 5.03$ 100.42$
Reciprocating Engine Oregon / California 166$ 1,495$ 10.61%158.65$ 47.41$ 206.07$ 40%58.81 472.04 37.76 - 3.05$ - 99.62$ 5.03$ 104.65$
Reciprocating Engine Washington 166$ 1,495$ 10.61%158.65$ 47.41$ 206.07$ 40%58.81 472.04 37.76 - 3.05$ - 99.62$ 5.03$ 104.65$
Reciprocating Engine Wyoming 166$ 1,495$ 10.61%158.65$ 47.41$ 206.07$ 40%58.81 431.47 34.52 - 1.76$ - 95.09$ 5.03$ 100.12$
Gas Turbine Idaho 195$ 1,757$ 10.61%186.45$ 55.42$ 241.87$ 81%34.09 431.47 27.18 - 1.62$ - 62.89$ 2.92$ 65.81$
Gas Turbine Utah 195$ 1,757$ 10.61%186.45$ 55.42$ 241.87$ 81%34.09 472.04 29.74 - 1.62$ - 65.45$ 2.92$ 68.37$
Gas Turbine Oregon 195$ 1,757$ 10.61%186.45$ 55.42$ 241.87$ 81%34.09 472.04 29.74 - 1.62$ - 65.45$ 2.92$ 68.37$
Gas Turbine Washington 195$ 1,757$ 10.61%186.45$ 55.42$ 241.87$ 81%34.09 431.47 27.18 - 1.62$ - 62.89$ 2.92$ 65.81$
Gas Turbine Wyoming 195$ 1,757$ 10.61%186.45$ 55.42$ 241.87$ 81%34.09 431.47 27.18 - 1.62$ - 62.89$ 2.92$ 65.81$
Microturbine Utah 241$ 2,168$ 14.39%311.92$ 63.42$ 375.34$ 49%87.44 431.47 34.52 - 2.06$ - 124.02$ 8.07$ 132.09$
Fuel Cell Utah 1,574$ 3,673$ 14.39%528.51$ 186.91$ 715.42$ 71%115.03 431.47 26.32 - 1.57$ - 142.92$ 36.42$ 179.33$
Commercial Biomass, Anaerobic Digester Utah 272$ 2,452$ 8.17%200.23$ 61.78$ 262.00$ 46%65.09 - - - - - 65.09$ 5.53$ 70.62$
Commercial Biomass, Anaerobic Digester Wyoming 272$ 2,452$ 8.17%200.23$ 61.78$ 262.00$ 46%65.09 - - - - - 65.09$ 5.53$ 70.62$
Industrial Biomass, Waste Utah 70$ 631$ 8.17%51.50$ 28.82$ 80.32$ 90%10.19 - - - - - 10.19$ 0.73$ 10.91$
Industrial Biomass, Waste Oregon / California 70$ 631$ 8.17%51.50$ 28.82$ 80.32$ 90%10.19 - - - - - 10.19$ 0.73$ 10.91$
Rooftop Photovoltaic (Utility Cost)Utah 902$ 902$ 7.54%68.05$ - 68.05$ 17%45.70 - - - - - 45.70$ - 45.70$
Rooftop Photovoltaic Wyoming 2,011$ 131$ 4,693$ 7.54%353.93$ 20.47$ 374.40$ 19%229.23 - - - - - 229.23$ 92.87$ 322.11$
Rooftop Photovoltaic Oregon / California 2,037$ 133$ 4,753$ 7.54%358.49$ 20.47$ 378.96$ 16%274.87 - - - - - 274.87$ 111.44$ 386.31$
Rooftop Photovoltaic Idaho 2,011$ 131$ 4,693$ 7.54%353.93$ 20.47$ 374.40$ 15%279.35 - - - - - 279.35$ 113.17$ 392.52$
Rooftop Photovoltaic Washington 2,011$ 131$ 4,693$ 7.54%353.93$ 20.47$ 374.40$ 14%298.88 - - - - - 298.88$ 121.09$ 419.97$
Water Heaters (Utility Cost)Utah 194$ 194$ 9.15%17.72$ - 17.72$ 6%33.92 - - - - - 33.92$ - 33.92$
Water Heaters Oregon 752$ 267$ 1,600$ 9.15%146.45$ 20.36$ 166.81$ 7%263.15 - - - - - 263.15$ 108.58$ 371.73$
Levelized Fuel
Small Combined Heat & Power
Location
Net Capital
Costs
Payment
Factor
Annual
Payment
($/kW-Yr)
Total Fixed
($/kW-Yr)
Total Resource
Cost without
Tax Benefits
(Mills/kWh)
Solar
Fixed Cost Convert to Mills Variable Costs
(mills/kWh)
Total Resource
Cost with Tax
Benefits
(Mills/kWh)
Rebate and
Administrative
Costs
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 6 – RESOURCE OPTIONS
127
Table 6.9 – Distributed Generation Total Resource Cost, $16 CO2 Tax
$16 CO2 Tax Capital Cost $/kW
Supply-side Resource Options
Mid-Calendar Year 2012 Dollars ($)
Resource Description Tax
Incentive O&M
Capacity
Factor
Total Fixed
(Mills/kWh) ¢/mmBtu Mills/kWh O&M
Gas
Transportation
or Wind
Integration Environmental
Tax
Incentive
(Mills/kWh)
Reciprocating Engine Idaho 166$ 1,495$ 10.61%158.65$ 47.41$ 206.07$ 40%58.81 472.04 37.76 - 2.06$ 3.17 101.80$ 5.03$ 106.83$
Reciprocating Engine Utah 166$ 1,495$ 10.61%158.65$ 47.41$ 206.07$ 40%58.81 472.04 37.76 - 2.06$ 3.17 101.80$ 5.03$ 106.83$
Reciprocating Engine Oregon / California 166$ 1,495$ 10.61%158.65$ 47.41$ 206.07$ 40%58.81 497.71 39.82 - 3.05$ 3.17 104.85$ 5.03$ 109.88$
Reciprocating Engine Washington 166$ 1,495$ 10.61%158.65$ 47.41$ 206.07$ 40%58.81 497.71 39.82 - 3.05$ 3.17 104.85$ 5.03$ 109.88$
Reciprocating Engine Wyoming 166$ 1,495$ 10.61%158.65$ 47.41$ 206.07$ 40%58.81 472.04 37.76 - 1.76$ 3.17 101.50$ 5.03$ 106.53$
Gas Turbine Idaho 195$ 1,757$ 10.61%186.45$ 55.42$ 241.87$ 81%34.09 472.04 29.74 - 1.62$ 2.50 67.94$ 2.92$ 70.86$
Gas Turbine Utah 195$ 1,757$ 10.61%186.45$ 55.42$ 241.87$ 81%34.09 497.71 31.36 - 1.62$ 2.50 69.56$ 2.92$ 72.48$
Gas Turbine Oregon 195$ 1,757$ 10.61%186.45$ 55.42$ 241.87$ 81%34.09 497.71 31.36 - 1.62$ 2.50 69.56$ 2.92$ 72.48$
Gas Turbine Washington 195$ 1,757$ 10.61%186.45$ 55.42$ 241.87$ 81%34.09 472.04 29.74 - 1.62$ 2.50 67.94$ 2.92$ 70.86$
Gas Turbine Wyoming 195$ 1,757$ 10.61%186.45$ 55.42$ 241.87$ 81%34.09 472.04 29.74 - 1.62$ 2.50 67.94$ 2.92$ 70.86$
Microturbine Utah 241$ 2,168$ 14.39%311.92$ 63.42$ 375.34$ 49%87.44 472.04 37.76 - 2.06$ 3.17 130.44$ 8.07$ 138.51$
Fuel Cell Utah 1,574$ 3,673$ 14.39%528.51$ 186.91$ 715.42$ 71%115.03 472.04 28.79 - 1.57$ 2.42 147.81$ 36.42$ 184.23$
Commercial Biomass, Anaerobic Digester Utah 272$ 2,452$ 8.17%200.23$ 61.78$ 262.00$ 46%65.09 - - - - - 65.09$ 5.53$ 70.62$
Commercial Biomass, Anaerobic Digester Wyoming 272$ 2,452$ 8.17%200.23$ 61.78$ 262.00$ 46%65.09 - - - - - 65.09$ 5.53$ 70.62$
Industrial Biomass, Waste Utah 70$ 631$ 8.17%51.50$ 28.82$ 80.32$ 90%10.19 - - - - - 10.19$ 0.73$ 10.91$
Industrial Biomass, Waste Oregon / California 70$ 631$ 8.17%51.50$ 28.82$ 80.32$ 90%10.19 - - - - - 10.19$ 0.73$ 10.91$
Rooftop Photovoltaic (Utility Cost)Utah 902$ 902$ 7.54%68.05$ - 68.05$ 17%45.70 - - - - - 45.70$ - 45.70$
Rooftop Photovoltaic Wyoming 2,011$ 131$ 4,693$ 7.54%353.93$ 20.47$ 374.40$ 19%229.23 - - - - - 229.23$ 92.87$ 322.11$
Rooftop Photovoltaic Oregon / California 2,037$ 133$ 4,753$ 7.54%358.49$ 20.47$ 378.96$ 16%274.87 - - - - - 274.87$ 111.44$ 386.31$
Rooftop Photovoltaic Idaho 2,011$ 131$ 4,693$ 7.54%353.93$ 20.47$ 374.40$ 15%279.35 - - - - - 279.35$ 113.17$ 392.52$
Rooftop Photovoltaic Washington 2,011$ 131$ 4,693$ 7.54%353.93$ 20.47$ 374.40$ 14%298.88 - - - - - 298.88$ 121.09$ 419.97$
Water Heaters (Utility Cost)Utah 194$ 194$ 9.15%17.72$ - 17.72$ 6%33.92 - - - - - 33.92$ - 33.92$
Water Heaters Oregon 752$ 267$ 1,600$ 9.15%146.45$ 20.36$ 166.81$ 7%263.15 - - - - - 263.15$ 108.58$ 371.73$
Location
Rebate and
Administrative
Costs
Net
Capital
Costs
Convert to Mills
Levelized Fuel
Annual
Payment
($/kW-Yr)
Payment
Factor
Total
Resource
Cost
(Mills/kWh)
Variable Costs
(mills/kWh)
Fixed Cost
Total Fixed
($/kW-Yr)
Total Resource
Cost without Tax
Benefits
(Mills/kWh)
Solar
Small Combined Heat & Power
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 6 – RESOURCE OPTIONS
128
Resource Option Description
Coal
Potential coal resources are shown in the supply-side resource options table as supercritical
pulverized coal boilers (PC) and IGCC, located in both Utah and Wyoming. Costs for large coal-
fired boilers, since the 2007 IRP, have increased by approximately 50 to 60 percent due to many
factors involving material shortages, labor shortages, and the risk of fixed price contracting.
Current economic conditions have mitigated many of these concerns and changes in price for
coal generation have been relatively stable since the previous IRP. The uncertainty of both
proposed and future carbon regulations and difficulty in obtaining environmental permits for coal
based generation requires the Company to postpone the selection of coal as a resource before
2020.
Supercritical technology was chosen over subcritical technology for pulverized coal for a number
of reasons. Increasing coal costs are making the added efficiency of the supercritical technology
cost-effective. Additionally, there is a greater competitive marketplace for large supercritical
boilers than for large subcritical boilers. Increasingly, large boiler manufacturers only offer
supercritical boilers in the 500-plus MW sizes. Due to the increased efficiency of supercritical
boilers, overall emission intensity rates are smaller than for similarly sized subcritical units.
Compared to subcritical boilers, supercritical boilers have better load following capability, faster
ramp rates, use less water and require less steel for construction. The smaller steel requirements
have also leveled the construction cost estimates for the two coal technologies. The costs for a
supercritical PC facility reflect the cost of adding a new unit at an existing site. PacifiCorp does
not expect a significant difference in cost for a multi-unit plant at a new site versus the cost of a
single unit addition at an existing site.
The potential requirement for CO2 capture and sequestration (CCS) represents a significant cost
for new and, possibly, existing coal resources. Currently proposed federal New Source
Performance Standards for Greenhouse Gases (NSPS-GHG) regulations would require CCS for
new coal units to meet the proposed emissions limit. Research projects are underway to develop
more cost-effective methods of capturing carbon dioxide from pulverized coal boilers. The costs
included in the supply side resource tables utilize amine based solvent systems for carbon
capture. Sequestration would store the CO2 underground for long-term storage and monitoring.
PacifiCorp continues to monitor CO2 capture technologies for possible retrofit application on its
existing coal-fired resources, as well as their applicability for future coal plants that could serve
as cost-effective alternatives to IGCC plants if CO2 removal becomes necessary in the future. An
option to capture CO2 at an existing coal-fired unit has been included in the supply side resource
tables. Currently there are only a limited number of large-scale sequestration projects in
operation around the world; most of these have been installed in conjunction with enhanced oil
recovery. CCS is not considered a viable option before 2025 due to risk issues associated with
the availability of commercial sequestration sites and the uncertainty regarding long term
liabilities for underground sequestration.
An alternative to supercritical pulverized-coal technology for coal-based generation is the
application of IGCC technology. A significant advantage for IGCC when compared to
pulverized coal, with amine-based carbon capture, is the reduced cost of capturing CO2 from the
process. Only a limited number of IGCC plants have been built and operated around the world.
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 6 – RESOURCE OPTIONS
129
In the United States, these facilities have been demonstration projects, resulting in capital and
operating costs that are significantly greater than those costs for conventional coal plants. The
majority of these projects have been constructed with significant funding from the federal
government. Two large, utility-scale IGCC plants are currently in construction: Duke Energy’s
Edwardsport Plant that utilizes General Electric’s gasification technology and Southern
Company’s Kemper County plant that utilizes Southern Company’s Transport Integrated
Gasifier (TRIG). A third IGCC project, utilizing Siemens gasification technology, the Texas
Clean Energy Project, is currently in an advanced stage of development. The costs presented in
the supply-side resource options tables reflect 2007 studies of IGCC costs associated with efforts
to partner PacifiCorp with the Wyoming Infrastructure Authority (WIA) to investigate the
acquisition of federal grant money to demonstrate western IGCC projects.
PacifiCorp communicates regularly with the primary gasification technology suppliers,
constructors, and other utilities. The results of all these contacts were used to help develop the
coal-based generation projects in the supply side resource tables.
Coal Plant Efficiency Improvements
Fuel efficiency gains for existing coal plants, which are manifested as lower plant heat rates, are
realized by: (1) continuous operations improvement, (2) monitoring the quality of the fuel
supply, and (3) upgrading components if economically justified. Efficiency improvements can
result in a smaller emissions footprint for a given level of plant capacity, or the same footprint
when plant capacity is increased.
The efficiency of generating units, primarily measured by the heat rate (the ratio of heat input to
energy output) degrades gradually as components wear over time. During operation, controllable
process parameters are adjusted to optimize the unit’s power output compared to its heat input.
Typical overhaul work that contributes to improved efficiency includes (1) major equipment
overhauls of the steam generating equipment and combustion/steam turbine generators, (2)
overhauls of the cooling systems and (3) overhauls of the pollution control equipment.
When economically justified, efficiency improvements are obtained through major component
upgrades of the electricity generating equipment. The most notable examples of upgrades
resulting in greater generating capacity are steam turbine upgrades and generator upgrades.
Turbine upgrades consist of adding additional rows of blades to the rearward section of the
turbine shaft (generically known as a “dense pack” configuration), but can also include replacing
existing blades, replacing end seals and enhancing seal packing media. Generator upgrades
consist of cleaning and rewinding the coils in the stator, and servicing the electromagnetic core.
Such upgrade opportunities are analyzed on a case-by-case basis, and are tied to a unit’s major
overhaul cycle, and, because they are often capital intensive, are only implemented if
economically justified.
Natural Gas
A number of natural gas fueled generation options are included in the supply-side resource
options table and are intended to represent technologies that are both currently commercially
available and/or will be available over the next few years. Both simple and combined cycle
configurations are included. Capital costs for gas-fueled generation options approximate capital
costs reported in previous IRPs. In real terms, capital costs have shown a modest decline
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 6 – RESOURCE OPTIONS
130
compared to the 2011 IRP, primarily driven by limited domestic orders for new gas-fired
generation due to a lack of current economic growth.
Combustion turbine options include both simple and combined cycle configurations. The simple
cycle (SCCT) options include traditional frame machines as well as aero-derivative combustion
turbines. Two aero-derivative options are included: the General Electric LM6000PG combustion
turbine and General Electric’s LMS100. These machines are flexible, high efficiency machines
and can be installed with high temperature oxidation catalysts for carbon monoxide (CO) control
and an SCR system for nitrogen oxides (NOx) control, which allows them to be located in areas
with air emissions concerns. LM6000 gas turbines have quick-start capability (less than ten
minutes to full load) and higher heating value net full load heat rates near 10,000 Btu/kWh. For
the current supply side resource table, the GE LM6000PG machine was selected, which has a
slightly higher output than the LM6000PC machine used in the previous IRP supply side
resource table and which are installed at the Company’s Gadsby Plant. As in the previous IRP,
the supply-side resource table includes General Electric’s LMS100 intercooled gas turbine. This
combustion turbine has been successful since its debut with 28 units in service with
approximately another 20 being installed as of summer 2012. It is a cross between a simple-cycle
aero-derivative gas turbine and a frame machine with compressor inter-cooling to improve
efficiency. The machines have higher heating value net full load heat rates of less than 9,000
Btu/kWh and similar starting capabilities as the LM6000 with significant load following
capability (up to 50 MW per minute).
Frame simple cycle machines are represented by the “F” class technology and in the case of the
current IRP Supply Side Resource options table the frame machine reflects a General Electric 7F
5 series (previously referred to as the 7FA.05). One combustion turbine can generate
approximately 180 MW at Western U.S. elevations; they have efficiencies similar to the
LM6000 family of combustion turbines when operating in simple cycle.
Other natural gas-fired generation options include internal combustion engines and fuel cells.
Internal combustion engines are represented by a large power plant consisting of six machines at
17.2 MW each at Western elevations. The underlying technology for this category is the Wartsila
18V50SG engine; these machines are spark-ignited and have the advantages of a relatively low
(when compared to simple cycle combustion turbines), low emissions profile, and a high level of
availability and reliability due to the relatively high number of machines for a given target
capacity block. They are capable of being brought on line up to full load in less than ten minutes
and have excellent part-load efficiency which is again due to fact that there is a high number of
machines for a given capacity. These types of engines also have the advantage of being
relatively insensitive to elevation and do not require high-pressure natural gas, which is typical
of advanced combustion turbines. In previous IRPs, the underlying technology was the Wartsila
20V34SG, a smaller engine.
At present, fuel cells hold less promise for large utility scale applications due to high capital and
maintenance costs, partly attributable to the lack of production capability and limited
development. Fuel cell applications are beginning to advance in small scale with some
customers.
A number of combined cycle configurations have been provided in this version of the Supply
Side Resource options table. Configuration options include 1x1 and 2x1 configurations based on
“F” and “G/H” combustion turbines. The “G/H” frame combustion turbine, although they are
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 6 – RESOURCE OPTIONS
131
supplied by different equipment manufacturers, are combined, since the power and performance
outputs are relatively similar. Also included in the current version of the Supply Side Resource
options table is the new “J” class combustion turbine, which is a large advanced combustion
turbine (approximately 470 megawatts in a 1x1 combined cycle configuration under ISO
conditions). The “J” class combustion turbine is now commercially available in the United
States, though no orders have been placed to date. The Supply Side Resource table also includes
Duct Firing (“DF”), which is not a stand-alone resource option, but is considered to be an
available option for any combined cycle configuration and represents a low cost option to add
peaking capability at relatively high efficiency and also a mechanism to recover lost power
generation capability due to high ambient temperatures. The amount of duct firing in the supply
side resource options table are stated as fixed values at 50 MW for the 1x1 configuration and 100
MW for the 2x1 configuration, though in reality the amount of duct firing is a design
consideration which means the incremental capacity that can be added is flexible. In most cases,
all combined cycle options listed in the current supply side resource table are based on dry
cooling (i.e. using an air cooled condenser) , rather than wet cooling (i.e. using a forced draft
cooling tower). It is assumed that the availability of water in the western United States will
continue to be limited. Furthermore, during cold weather cooling towers can have plumes that
are sometimes considered a visual nuisance. The assumption of dry cooling is considered to be
both prudent and conservative. In certain cases and sites, sufficient water may be available for
wet cooling, in which case, performance and efficiency would be improved; the overall costs of
energy would be site-specific depending on the total cost of water (commodity cost,
transport/storage infrastructure cost, treatment cost, discharge cost) .
Wind
Resource Supply, Location, and Incremental Transmission Costs
It should be noted that the primary drivers of wind resource selection are the requirements of
renewable portfolio standards and the availability of production tax credits. In the previous IRP,
incremental transmission costs were expressed as dollars-per-kW values that were applied to
costs of wind resources added in wind-generation-only bubbles. In the present IRP, the
availability of certain wind resources is contingent upon the different Energy Gateway
transmission scenarios. In the Energy Gateway scenario 1, no new Wyoming wind is available.
The availability of higher capacity factor, lower cost Wyoming wind increases moving from
Energy Gateway scenarios 2 through 5. In Energy Gateway scenarios 1, 2, and 4 the only
available wind resource on the west side of the system delivers energy to the Willamette Valley
bubble and assumes a BPA wheel from McNary to the Willamette Valley (inclusive of BPA
wind integration charges). It is assumed that any potential capital required by BPA is included in
the cost of the wheel. This west side wind resource further assumes an incremental PacifiCorp
Transmission capital cost of $10 million (2012$), which equates to $33.33/kW (2012$). For
Energy Gateway scenarios 3 and 5, a wind resource is available, which delivers energy to the
Northwest via the transmission path Windstar to Hemmingway. This resource reflects additions
in Gorge vial route through Boardman and then to Bethel. No BPA wheeling costs apply. No
incremental transmission costs will be assigned to this resource (assumes Energy Gateway
Segment H costs cover all transmission integration requirements). Table 6.10 below shows the
total cumulative wind selection limits for each wind resource based upon Energy Gateway
scenario.
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 6 – RESOURCE OPTIONS
132
Table 6.10 – Cumulative Wind Selection Limits by Year and Energy Gateway Scenario
Capital Costs
Capital cost estimates for wind projects are based on the development and construction costs of
previously built projects and 2012 market prices for the wind turbine generators. All wind
resources are specified in 100 MW blocks, but the model can choose a fractional amount of a
block.
Wind Resource Capacity Factors and Energy Shapes
Resource options in the topology bubbles are assigned capacity factors based upon historic or
expected project performance. Wyoming resource options are assigned a capacity factor value
of40 percent, while wind resources in other states are assigned a value of 29 percent. Capacity
factor is a separate modeled parameter from the capital cost, and is used to scale wind energy
shapes used by both the System Optimizer and Planning and Risk models. The hourly generation
shape reflects average hourly wind variability. The hourly generation shape is repeated for each
year of the simulation.
Wind Integration Costs
To capture the costs of integrating wind into the system, PacifiCorp applied a value of
$2.55/MWh (in 2012 dollars) for resource selection. The source of this value was the Company’s
2012 wind integration study, which is included as Appendix H. Integration costs were
incorporated into wind capital costs based on a 25-year project life expectancy and generation
performance.
Other Renewable Resources
Other renewable generation resources included in the supply-side resource options table include
geothermal, biomass and solar.
Geothermal
The 2010 IRP Update included information from a 2010 geothermal study (see Table 6.11) that
was commissioned by PacifiCorp and performed by Black & Veatch43. The 2010 study focused
on geothermal projects that could demonstrate commercial viability and were in advanced phases
of development.
43 The 2010 geothermal study is available on PacifiCorp’s IRP web page. http://www.pacificorp.com/es/irp.html.
Wind Capacity Total MW Available Energy Gateway
Resource Factor 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 >2021 Scenario
Wyoming (Aeolius)40%- - - - - - - EG1
Wyoming (Aeolius)40%- - - 650 650 650 650 EG2
Wyoming (Aeolius)40%- - - 650 1,200 1,200 1,200 EG3
Wyoming (Aeolius)40%- - - 650 650 1,000 1,000 EG4
Wyoming (Aeolius)40%- - - 650 650 1,500 1,500 EG5
Oregon/ Washington (Willamette Valley)29%- - - 300 300 300 300 EG 1,2,4
Oregon/ Washington (Bethel)29%- - - 600 600 600 600 EG 3,5
South Utah Wind 29%- 200 200 200 200 200 200 All EG 1-5
Idaho (Goshen) Wind 29%- 600 600 600 600 600 600 All EG 1-5
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Table 6.11 – 2010 Geothermal Study Results
In response to the 2010 IRP Update, comments from stakeholders requested additional
information on geothermal projects near PacifiCorp’s service territory that are in the early stages
of exploration and development. PacifiCorp issued a Geothermal Information Request (GIR) to
the public in 2011 to identify geothermal projects in the early stages of exploration and
development. Black & Veatch was commissioned to review the responses, categorize the
development stage of each project and recommend projects to PacifiCorp. As a result of the
GIR, PacifiCorp received Information on 16 projects in the early stages of development from 10
respondents.
Black & Veatch reviewed the information provided and evaluated each of the 16 projects. The
projects were categorized according to the Geothermal Energy Association’s definition of the
four phases of energy development:
Phase 1 – Resource Procurement and Identification
Phase 2 – Resource Exploration and Confirmation
Phase 3 – Permitting and Initial Development
Phase 4 – Resource Production and Power Plant Construction
Projects that did not meet the minimum requirements to be labeled phase 1 were categorized as
phase 0. All 16 projects were categorized as phase 0, phase 1, or phase 2. Black & Veatch
Field Name State
Additional
Capacity
Available
(Gross MW)
Additional
Capacity
Available
(Net MW)
Additional
Capacity
Available to
PacifiCorp
(Net MW)a
Anticipated
Plant Type
for Additonal
Capacity
LCOE
(Low,
$/MWh)b,c
LCOE
(High,
$/MWh)b,c
Lake City CA 30 24 24 Binary $83 $90
Medicine Lake CA 480 384 384 Binary $91 $98
Raft River ID 90 72 43 Binary $93 $100
Neal Hot
Springs OR 30 24 0 Binary $80 $87
Cove Fort UT 100 80 60 to 63 Binary $68 $75
Crystal-
Madsen UT 30 24 0 Binary $93 $100
Roosevelt Hot
Springs UT 90 81d 81d Flash/Binary
Hybrid $46 $51
Thermo Hot
Springs UT 118 94 0 Binary $91 $98
Totals 968 783 592 to 595
Source: BVG analysis for PacifiCorp.
Note:
a Calculated by subtracting the amount of resource under contract to or in contract negotiations
with other parties from the estimated net capacity available.
b Net basis
c These screening level cost estimates are based on available public information. More detailed
estimates based on proprietary information and calculated on a consistent basis might yield
different comparisons.
d While 81 MW net are estimated to be available, the resource should be developed in smaller
increments to verify resource sustainability
Table 1-1. Sites Selected for In-Depth Review.
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reviewed the experience of the project team, viability of the site, generation technology,
economics, readiness and system interconnection of each project and recommended six projects.
The six projects are shown below in Table 6.12 and Figure 6.3. The six recommended projects
include two projects from each phase of development represented. Two of the recommended
projects plan to use Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS), a technology that has not been
commercially applied in the United States. The remaining four projects plan to use binary
technology, which is inherently more costly and less efficient than the flash design suitable for
projects with higher-temperature brine. The equivalent energy cost for each of the six projects
ranges between $100 and $180/MWh. All six projects are in early stages of development and
will have higher development risks than projects that have successfully completed higher phases
of development.
Table 6.12 – 2012 Geothermal Study Results
PHASE DEVELOPER PROJECT LOCATION MW TYPE
2
Oski Energy Cove Fort Cove Fort, UT 15 Binary (Kalina)
Davenport Newberry Newberry
Volcano
Deschutes County,
OR
15 Likely Binary
/Flash EGS
1
Standard Steam Trust Newdale Newdale, ID Undef. Binary
Ida-Therm Renaissance Honeyville, UT 100 Binary
0
AltaRock Energy Buck Mountain Klamath Falls, OR 10 Dual Flash EGS
Surprise Valley Surprise Valley
Hot Springs
Modoc County, CA 2-5 Binary
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 6 – RESOURCE OPTIONS
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Figure 6.3 - Commercially Viable Geothermal Resources near PacifiCorp’s Service
Territory
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 6 – RESOURCE OPTIONS
136
The cost recovery mechanisms currently available to PacifiCorp as a public electric utility are
not compatible with the inherent risks associated with the development of geothermal resources
for the production of electricity. The primary risks of geothermal development are dry holes,
insufficient temperature and insufficient pressure. These risks cannot be quantified until after
wells are dug. The costs to confirm production capability of a geothermal energy resource can be
as high as 35 percent of total project development costs. Test wells drilled during the exploration
phase of project development are typically estimated to cost between $500,000 and $1.5 million
per well. Full diameter wells drilled during the confirmation phase of development are estimated
to cost between $4 million and $5 million per well. Variations in the permeability of subsurface
materials can determine whether wells in close proximity are commercially viable, lacking in
pressure or temperature, or completely dry with no interconnectivity to a geothermal resource.
As a regulated utility subject to the public utility commissions of six states, PacifiCorp is not
compensated nor incentivized to engage in risk inherent activities.
To mitigate the financial risks of geothermal development, PacifiCorp would use an RFP process
to obtain market proposals for geothermal power purchase agreements or build-own-transfer
project agreement structures. Geothermal developers, external to PacifiCorp, have the flexibility
to structure project pricing to include all development risks. Through an RFP process, PacifiCorp
could choose the geothermal project with the lowest cost offered by the market and avoid
considerable risk for the Company and its customers. In the event PacifiCorp identifies a
geothermal asset that appears to be economically attractive but also determines that there is a
significant possibility of development risk that the market will not economically absorb,
PacifiCorp may approach state regulators with estimates of resource development costs and risks
associated to obtain approval for a mechanism to address risks such as dry holes. Because public
utility commissions typically do not allow recovery of expenditures which do not result in a
direct benefit to customers, and at least one state has a statute that precludes cost recovery of any
asset that is not considered to be “used and useful,” obtaining a mechanism to recover
geothermal development costs may be difficult.
Biomass
Cost and performance data for biomass based resources were obtained from third-party studies.
In general, large-scale (greater than 50 MW) plants are rare, which is why the resource option
shows a 5 MW plant on the supply side resource table. Nonetheless, select coal plants have been
converted from burning coal to burning various types of biomass, including wood chips,
cellulosic switch grass, municipal solid waste, or, in rare cases, an engineered fuel which adds
processing and sorbents to the aforementioned base fuels. Certain coal plants have been
identified as candidates for coal to biomass conversion, most notably Portland General Electric’s
580 MW Boardman Plant in Oregon. The greatest challenge to building large biomass plants or
retrofitting a coal unit to a large biomass plant is the cost, availability, reliability, and
homogeneity of a long-term fuel supply. The transport and handling logistics of large quantities
of biomass fuel poses a significant challenge, depending on the size of the facility. Because of
the need to be close to a large source of biomass, the Pacific Northwest or Atlantic Southeast are
generally considered good regions for siting biomass resources. The climate and economy of
these regions promotes growth of trees in large plantations. While PacifiCorp currently does not
own any biomass plants, the company does purchase power from a number of biomass fueled
installations in Oregon through power purchase agreements.
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Solar
Three solar technologies are included in the supply side resource table: photovoltaic (PV)
crystalline (both fixed and single axis tracking) and concentrated solar. Market prices for PV
crystalline solar panels have dropped substantially during the past five plus years, giving the PV
crystalline technology a cost advantage over concentrated solar and thin film. Unlike other
resource options, the real capital costs for PV solar resources have been projected to decline
slightly over the IRP study period. To model these decreases in real capital cost, data from
PacifiCorp’s 2012 market estimate and the price change curve of the nominalized 2009 NREL
price forecast data were used.
Oregon passed a law in 2009 that requires electric utilities in the state to meet photovoltaic solar
generation requirements with facilities in Oregon that have nameplate capacities between 500
kW and 5 MW. PacifiCorp is required to have a total of 8.7 MW of photovoltaic solar sources
within its generation system in Oregon by January 1, 2020.
To meet the Oregon solar requirement, PacifiCorp issued an RFP for solar projects and
commissioned a study to evaluate solar resources in 2011. The Black Cap solar facility was
selected in the RFP process and was constructed in 2012. The Black Cap facility represents
completion of 2 MW of PacifiCorp’s 8.7 MW solar requirement in Oregon. A study to evaluate
solar resources in Oregon was completed by Black & Veatch and focused on development of 2
MW projects that could be built to meet Oregon’s solar generation requirement. The Oregon
report evaluated PV thin film, fixed tilt PV multi-crystalline, and single axis PV multi-crystalline
installations. Capital cost information in the Oregon report was updated in August 2012 to
incorporate market changes in the cost of equipment. Information from this report is the basis for
cost and production data for 2 MW solar resources listed in the Supply Side Resource table.
In August 2012, PacifiCorp commissioned an additional cost and performance evaluation on
estimated energy production, capital and operating and maintenance costs for a nominal 50 MW
solar PV resource located in southwestern Utah. The Utah estimate studied fixed-tilt and single-
axis mounting systems for PV crystalline solar panels. The higher annual insolation and solar
irradiance in Utah improved capacity factors and economy of scale benefits of the 50 MW
resource compared to the 2 MW resource, resulting in lower total energy costs.
Distributed Supply Side Resources
As in the previous IRP, three general categories of small-scale customer-sited generation (also
referred to as Distributed Generation) were included as resource options in the 2013 IRP;
Combined Heat and Power (CHP), Solar Photovoltaics (“Solar PV”) and Solar Water Heating
(“SWH”). Traditionally, such resources fall outside the standard classification of Class 2 DSM
resources for two main reasons: either they reduce utility-provided electricity consumption at the
building level (rather than at an end-use level, as applies to CHP and PV), or they rely on
renewable resources (solar PV, SWH, and certain CHP technologies).
CHP systems generate electricity and utilize waste heat for thermal loads, such as space or water
heating. They can be used in buildings with a fairly coincident thermal and electric load, or in
buildings producing combustible biomass or biogas, such as lumber mills or landfills. CHP
broadly divides into subcategories based on fuels used: nonrenewable CHP typically runs on
natural gas, while renewable CHP runs on a biologically derived fuel (biomass or biogas).
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 6 – RESOURCE OPTIONS
138
The IRP includes the same CHP systems as in the 2011 IRP:
Nonrenewable
- Reciprocating engines (RE);
- Microturbines (MT);
- Gas turbines (GT); and
- Fuel cells (FC).
Renewable
- Industrial biomass systems are utilized in industries such as lumber mills or pulp
and paper manufacturing, where site-generated waste products can be combusted
in place of natural gas or other fuels.
- Anaerobic digesters create methane gas (biogas fuel) by breaking down liquid or
solid biological waste.
Solar PV systems include a collection of solar modules, generally mounted on building roofs,
with an inverter to convert available sunlight into electricity compatible with a building’s
standard electrical infrastructure. Widely applicable in the residential and nonresidential sectors,
Solar PV has been in use for several decades. In 2012, the Utah Public Service Commission
approved a large expansion of the Utah Solar Incentive Program. The program is designed to
encourage the development of distributed Solar PV through the payment of a rebate to customers
that complete the installation of onsite Solar PV generation facilities. Based on utility experience
with similar incentive programs, the 2013 IRP assumes that the program will have full
participation and drive the installation of 60 MW of Solar PV resources across the Company’s
Utah service territory between 2013 and 2017. This has the impact of accelerating the adoption
of Solar PV in Utah over the first five years of the 2013 IRP and if realized reduces the
remaining potential in Utah in the later years of the plan.
SWH systems use sunlight to pre-heat domestic hot water tanks, reducing the need for electricity
to heat water. Widely applicable in the residential and nonresidential sectors, SWHs have been in
use for several decades.
Table 6.13 shows modeling attributes for the distributed generation resources reflected in
“Assessment of Long-Term, System-Wide Potential for Demand-Side and Other Supplemental
Resources” study completed in March 2013 by Cadmus (“DSM potential study").
Table 6.13 – Distributed Generation Resource Attributes44
44 More details on the distributed generation resources can be found in the DSM potentials study report available for
download on PacifiCorp’s demand-side management Web page, http://www.pacificorp.com/es/dsm.html.
Available MW Capacity each Year by Topology Bubble 1/
Annual
Fixed
O&M
Costs
Measure
Life
(Yrs)
Heat Rate
(Ave.
Btu/kWh)
Admin Cost
(% of total
program cost)
Capital
Cost
($/kW),
Total
Technology
Cost
Change
California Oregon
Walla
Walla,
WA
Yakima,
WA
Goshen,
ID Utah Wyoming
Reciprocating Engine 0.15 0.89 0.36 0.92 0.40 6.61 0.89 47.41 20 8,000 0%1,495 1%
MicroTurbine - - - - - 0.95 - 63.42 10 8,000 0%2,168 -1%
Fuel Cell - - - - - 0.47 - 186.91 10 6,100 0%3,673 -3%
Gas Turbine - 0.27 - 0.13 0.14 1.90 0.30 55.42 20 6,300 0%1,757 1%
Industrial Biomass - 0.55 - - - 0.16 - 28.82 25 N/A 0%631 1%
Anaerobic Digesters - - - - - 0.20 0.16 61.78 18 N/A 0%2,452 -1%
PV 0.49 7.12 - 0.15 0.15 13.12 0.29 20.47 30 N/A 10%4,693 -2%
Solar Water Heaters - 2.16 - - - 1.53 - 20.36 20 N/A 10%1,600 2%
Technology Type
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 6 – RESOURCE OPTIONS
139
Nuclear
Included in the supply side resource table is a larger 2,236 MW system, which reflects the
current state-of-the-art advanced nuclear plant and is modeled after the Westinghouse AP1000
technology currently being installed by Southern Company at the Vogtle Generating Station in
Georgia. It is assumed that this technology would be installed at the proposed Blue Castle site
near Green River, Utah. Nuclear fuel cost is assumed at $2,770/kg in 2011 dollars but nuclear
power is not considered a viable option in the PacifiCorp service territory before 2030 due to
total capital cost uncertainty (including EPC and owner’s costs), sociopolitical resistance, and
regulatory obstacles.
Energy Storage
As in past IRPs, a number of energy storage technologies are included, such as compressed
energy storage (CAES), pumped hydroelectric, and advanced batteries. There are a number of
potential CAES sites—specifically solution-mined sites associated with natural gas storage in
western Utah and southwest Wyoming—that could be developed in areas of existing gas
transmission. CAES may be an attractive alternative for high elevation sites since the gas
compression could compensate for the facility capacity derate affects associated with higher
elevation.
Energy storage continues to be of interest since the variable nature of some conventional
renewable generation alternatives could be enhanced if the energy produced could be stored. To
model the storage options, PacifiCorp conducted an energy storage study with HDR in 201145.
Table 6.14 outlines the conclusions of the HDR study. The focus of this study was in defining
the cost and performance characteristics of available storage technologies. The dry cell and Zinc
Bromide (ZnBr) battery options were removed because these systems are similar to other options
shown. Zinc-bromide batteries are similar to the VRB batteries, while the dry cells are similar to
the Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) batteries.
Table 6.14 –HDR Energy Storage Study Summary Cost and Capacity Results (2011$)
Flywheel Li-Ion NaS VRB Pumped
Storage CAES
System Cost
($/kW and/or
$/kWh)
$2,406 per
kW
$1,100 (High
Energy)
$4,000/kW $644/kWh $1,500-
$3,000/kW
$1,400-
$1,700/kW
Rated System
Size (MW)
20 89 (High
Energy)
1 1 1,000 500
Rated
Capacity (hrs)
0.25 4 (High
Energy)
7.2 1 8 to 10 8
Numerous examples of pumped hydro systems are included in the HDR study and a composite
case is presented in the resource table representing both the large size capable with this
technology (1,000 MW) but at the high end of the cost range to reflect the permitting difficulties
present with this geologic intense generation option. O&M is presented in both variable and
fixed components. A larger variable component has been used to mirror the different potential
capacity factors available with this flexible resource.
45 The 2011 energy storage study is available on PacifiCorp’s IRP web page. http://www.pacificorp.com/es/irp.html.
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 6 – RESOURCE OPTIONS
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CAES has been shown at the specific size case illustrated in the HDR study. A 557 net MW
capacity case is shown in the resource table at the 6,000 foot elevation example. Capital costs
include the solution mining component of the technology. O&M costs are broken out into fixed
and variable components.
Battery energy storage is unique in that capital costs are defined in terms of energy storage
capability and not necessarily in terms of how much energy can be delivered instantaneously. In
order to properly compare different battery systems it is necessary to compare the battery
systems on a common denominator basis. The common denominator basis is defined by the
sodium-sulfur (NaS) battery and all systems were compared on storing 7.2 hours of energy as
shown in Table 6.15. All O&M in Table 6.15 is assumed fixed for ease of comparison.
Table 6.15 –HDR Storage Study, Normalized Battery Cost Comparison (2011$)
Battery $/kW -
Capacity
$/kWh
Energy
Storage
Replace-
ment –
10 yr life
$
Millions
kWh –
Energy
Storage
$/kWh for
Energy
Storage
$/kW –
Capacity
& Energy
O&M
$/kW-yr
Li-Ion $1,100 $1,100 $8.71 7,200 $1,210 $8,712 $27.4
NaS $4,000 $4,000 $4.40 7,200 $0.611 $4,400 $27.4
Vanadium
Redox (VRB)
$400 $644 $644 $5.53 7,200 $0.768 $5,530 $36.5
Notes to Table 6-15:
Capacity Factor equal to 3 hours per day – 6 months per year = 6.25%
Battery size normalized at 1 MW
Normalize energy storage capability to 7.2 hours equal to the standard NaS system
Demand-side Resources
Resource Options and Attributes
Source of Demand-side Management Resource Data
Demand-side management (DSM) resource opportunity estimates used in the development of the
2013 IRP were derived from the DSM potential study. The DSM potential study, conducted by
Cadmus, provided a broad estimate of the size, type, location and cost of demand-side
resources.46 For the purpose of integrated resource planning, the demand-side resource
information from the DSM potential study was converted into supply curves by type of DSM
(e.g. capacity-based Classes 1 and 3 DSM and energy-based Class 2 DSM) for modeling against
competing supply-side alternatives.
Demand-side Management Supply Curves
Resource supply curves are a compilation of point estimates showing the relationship between
the cumulative quantity and cost of resources. Supply curves provide a representative look at
how much of a particular resource can be acquired at a particular price point. Resource modeling
46 The 2013 DSM potential study is available on PacifiCorp’s demand-side management web page.
http://www.pacificorp.com/es/dsm.html.
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 6 – RESOURCE OPTIONS
141
utilizing supply curves allows utilities to select least-cost resources (products and quantities)
based on each resource’s competitiveness against alternative resource options.
As with supply-side resources, the development of demand-side resource supply curves requires
specification of quantity, availability, and cost attributes. Attributes specific to demand-side
supply curves include:
Resource quantities available in each year—either megawatts or megawatt-hours—
recognizing that some resources may come from stock additions not yet built, and that
elective resources cannot all be acquired in the first year;
Persistence of resource savings; for example, Class 2 DSM (energy-based) resource
measure lives
Seasonal availability and hours available (Classes 1 and 3 DSM capacity resources)
The hourly shape of the resource (load shape of the Class 2 DSM energy resource); and
Levelized resource costs (dollars per kilowatt per year for Classes 1 and 3 DSM capacity
resources, or dollars per megawatt-hour over the resource’s life for Class 2 DSM energy
resources).
Once developed, DSM supply curves are treated like discrete supply-side resources in the IRP
modeling environment.
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 6 – RESOURCE OPTIONS
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Class 1 DSM Capacity Supply Curves
Supply curves were created for three distinct Class 1 DSM products:
1) Direct load control (DLC) of residential and small commercial central air conditioning
and water heating;
2) Irrigation load curtailment; and
3) Commercial/industrial curtailment
The potentials and costs for each product were provided at the state level resulting in three
products across six states or the development of eighteen Class 1 DSM supply curves for the
2013 IRP modeling process.
Class 1 DSM resource price differences between West and East control areas for similar
resources were driven by resource differences in each market, such as irrigation pump size and
hours of operation as well as product performance differences. For instance, residential air
conditioning load control in the West is more expensive on a unitized or dollar per kilowatt-year
basis due to climatic differences that result in a lower load impact per installed switch.
The assessment of potential for distributed standby generation47 was combined with an
assessment of commercial/industrial energy management system controls in the development of
the resource opportunity and costs of the commercial/industrial curtailment product. The costs
for this product are constant across all jurisdictions assuming a pay-for-performance delivery
model.
Recognizing that some Class 1 and 3 DSM products compete for the management of the same
customer end-use loads, and to avoid overstating available impacts, the supply curves accounted
for interactions within and between Class 1 and Class 3 DSM resources. Resources were
prioritized within each customer sector by the firmness of the resource and then by cost. The
following are examples of the logic that was applied to account for these interactions:
Participation in the Class 1 DSM DLC air conditioning and water heating programs or
DLC irrigation programs would take precedence over participation in Class 3 DSM
Time-of-Use (TOU) rates/programs. Customers already enrolled in the DLC air
conditioning and water heating and DLC irrigation programs would not opt out to
participate in the TOU programs.
Participation in the Class 1 DSM commercial/industrial curtailment programs would take
precedent over Class 3 DSM Demand Buyback and/or Critical Peak Pricing programs
where load curtailment is offered.
Tables 6.16 and 6.17 show the summary level Class 1 DSM resource information, by control
area, used in the development of the Class 1 DSM resource supply curves. Potential shown is
incremental to the existing Class 1 DSM resources identified in Table 5.10. For existing program
offerings, it is assumed the Company could begin acquiring incremental potential in 2013. For
resources representing new product offerings, it is assumed the Company could begin acquiring
47 In February 2010 the Environmental Protection Agency made the Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engines
National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants ruling. The ruling puts restrictions on the use of standby
generation after May, 2014 unless the generators meet the rulings required emission standards.
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 6 – RESOURCE OPTIONS
143
potential in 2014, accounting for the time required for program design, regulatory approval,
vendor selection, etc.
Table 6.16 – Class 1 DSM Program Attributes West Control Area
Products
Competing
Strategy
Hours
Available Season
Potential
(MW)
Levelized
Cost
($/kW-yr)
First
Year(s)
Available
Residential and Small
Commercial Air
Conditioning and Water
Heating
Residential time-
of-use
50 hours,
average of 4
hours per
event
Summer 42 $83 - $103 2014
Irrigation Direct Load
Control
Irrigation time-
of-use
50 hours,
average of 4
hours per
event
Summer 11 $61 - $64 2014
Commercial/Industrial
Curtailment (includes
distributed standby
generation)
Demand
buyback and
Critical peak
pricing
30 hours,
average of 4
hours per
event
Summer
and
Winter
64 $65 2014
Table 6.17 – Class 1 DSM Program Attributes East Control Area
Products
Competing
Strategy
Hours
Available Season
Potential
(MW)
Levelized
Cost
($/kW-yr)
First
Year(s)
Available
Residential and Small
Commercial Air
Conditioning and Water
Heating
Residential time-
of-use
50 hours,
average of 4
hours per
event
Summer 31 $70 - $133 2013-
2014
Irrigation Direct Load
Control
Irrigation time-
of-use
50 hours,
average of 4
hours per
event
Summer 1 $51 - $64 2013-
2014
Commercial/Industrial
Curtailment (includes
distributed standby
generation)
Demand
buyback and
Critical peak
pricing
30 hours,
average of 4
hours per
event
Summer
and
Winter
125 $65 2014
A number of data conversions and resource attributes are required to configure the supply curves
for use in the System Optimizer model. All programs are defined to operate within a 5x8 hourly
window and are priced in $/kW-month. The following are the primary model attributes required
by the model:
The Capacity Planning Factor (CPF): This is the percentage of the program size (capacity)
that is expected to be available at the time of system peak. For Classes 1 and 3 DSM
programs, this parameter is set to 1 (100 percent)
Additional reserves: This parameter indicates whether additional reserves are required for
the resource. Firm resources, such as dispatchable load control, do not require additional
reserves.
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 6 – RESOURCE OPTIONS
144
Daily and annual energy limits: These parameters, expressed in Gigawatt-hours, are used to
implement hourly limits on the programs. They are obtained by multiplying the hours
available by the program size.
Nameplate capacity (MW) and service life (years)
Maximum Annual Units: This parameter, specified as a pointer to a vector of values,
indicates the maximum number of resource units available in the year for which the resource
is designated.
First year and month available / last year available
Class 3 DSM Capacity Supply Curves
Supply curves were created for four discrete Class 3 DSM products, which are capacity-based
resources like Class 1 DSM products:
1) Residential time-of-use rates;
2) Commercial critical peak pricing;
3) Commercial and industrial demand buyback; and
4) Voluntary irrigation time-of-use48
The potentials and costs for each product were provided at the state level resulting in four
products across six states or the development of twenty-four Class 3 DSM supply curves for the
2013 IRP modeling process.
As discussed above with regard to Class 1 DSM resources, the potential for each Class 3 DSM
product was adjusted for expected interactions with competing Class 1 and 3 DSM resource
options.
Modest product price differences between west and east control areas were driven by resource
opportunity differences. The DSM potential study assumed the same fixed costs in each state in
which it is offered regardless of quantity available. Therefore, states with lower resource
availability for a particular product have a higher cost per kilowatt-year.
Tables 6.18 and 6.19 show the summary level Class 3 DSM resource information, by control
area, used in the development of the Class 3 DSM resource supply curves. Potential shown is
incremental to the existing Class 3 DSM resources identified in Table 5.10. For existing program
offerings, it is assumed the Company could begin acquiring incremental potential in 2013. For
resources representing new product offerings, it is assumed the Company could begin acquiring
potential in 2014, accounting for the time required for program design, regulatory approval,
vendor selection, etc. System Optimizer data formats and parameters for Class 3 DSM programs
are similar to those defined for the Class 1 DSM programs.
Table 6.18 – Class 3 DSM Program Attributes, West Control Area
Products
Competing
Strategy
Hours
Available Season
Potential
(MW)
Levelized
Cost
($/kW-yr)
First
Year(s)
Available
Residential Time-of-
Use
Residential A/C
and Water 528 hours Summer 3 $117 -
$347
2013 -
2014
48 The 2011 IRP included significantly more potential for irrigation load control driven by the assumption of
mandatory participation.
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 6 – RESOURCE OPTIONS
145
Products
Competing
Strategy
Hours
Available Season
Potential
(MW)
Levelized
Cost
($/kW-yr)
First
Year(s)
Available
Heating DLC
Commercial Critical
Peak Pricing
C&I
Curtailment,
Demand
Buyback
40 hours Summer
and Winter 0* $9 - $96 2014
Commercial/Industrial
Demand Buyback
C&I
Curtailment,
Critical Peak
Pricing
50 hours Summer
and Winter 0* $26 2014
Voluntary Irrigation
Time-of-Use Irrigation DLC 120 hours Summer 5 $40 - $97 2013 -
2014
* Although standalone potential was identified in the DSM potential study, there is assumed to be no
potential available after accounting for competition with other Class 1 and 3 DSM resources.
Table 6.19 – Class 3 DSM Program Attributes, East Control area
Products
Competing
Strategy
Hours
Available Season
Potential
(MW)
Levelized
Cost
($/kW-yr)
First
Year(s)
Available
Residential Time-of-
Use
Residential A/C
and Water
Heating DLC
480/600
hours Summer 8 $124 -
$195
2013 -
2014
Commercial Critical
Peak Pricing
C&I
Curtailment,
Demand
Buyback
40 hours Summer
and Winter 0* $9 - $38 2014
Commercial/Industrial
Demand Buyback
C&I
Curtailment,
Critical Peak
Pricing
50 hours Summer
and Winter 0* $26 2014
Voluntary Irrigation
Time-of-Use Irrigation DLC 120 hours Summer 0.2 $20 - $97 2013 -
2014
* Although standalone potential was identified in the DSM potential study, there is assumed to be no
potential available after accounting for competition with other Class 1 and 3 DSM resources.
Class 2 DSM, Energy Supply Curves
The 2013 IRP represents the third time the Company has utilized the DSM supply curve
methodology in the evaluation and selection of Class 2 DSM resources. The 2013 DSM potential
study provided the information to fully assess the potential contribution from Class 2 DSM
resources over the IRP planning horizon and adjusted resource potentials and costs to account for
changes in building codes, advancing equipment efficiency standards, market transformation,
resource cost changes, and state specific resource evaluation considerations (e.g., cost-
effectiveness criteria). Class 2 DSM resource potential was assessed by state down to the
individual measure and facility levels; e.g., specific appliances, motors, lighting configurations
for residential buildings, small offices, etc. The 2013 DSM potential study provided Class 2
DSM resource information at the following granularity:
State: Washington, California, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming49
Measure:
49 Oregon’s Class 2 DSM potential was assessed in a separate study commissioned by the Energy Trust of Oregon.
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 6 – RESOURCE OPTIONS
146
– 131 residential measures
– 145 commercial measures
– 93 industrial measures
– Three irrigation measures
– Four street lighting measures
Facility type50:
– Six residential facility types
– 24 commercial facility types
– 14 industrial facility types
– One irrigation facility type
– Four street lighting types
The 2013 DSM potential study levelized total resource costs (including measure costs and a 20
percent adder for program administrative costs) over the study period at PacifiCorp’s cost of
capital, consistent with the treatment of supply-side resources. Consistent with regulatory
mandates, Utah Class 2 DSM resource costs were levelized using utility costs (incentive and
non-incentive program costs) instead of total resource costs.
The technical potential for all Class 2 DSM resources across five states over the twenty-year
DSM potential study horizon totaled 7.2 million MWh.51 The technical potential represents the
total universe of possible savings before adjustments for what is likely to be realized
(achievable). When the achievable assumptions described below are considered the technical
potential is reduced to a technical achievable potential for modeling consideration of 5.7 million
MWh. The achievable technical potential, representing available potential at all costs, is
provided to the IRP model for economic screening relative to supply-side alternatives.
Despite the granularity of Class 2 DSM resource information available, it was impractical to
model the Class 2 DSM resource supply curves at this level of detail. The combination of
measures by facility type and state generated over 19,000 separate permutations or distinct
measures that could be modeled using the supply curve methodology.52 To reduce the resource
options for consideration without losing the overall resource quantity available or its relative
cost, resources were consolidated into bundles, using ranges of levelized costs to reduce the
number of combinations to a more manageable number. The granularity or range of measure
costs in a particular bundle were narrowed in the development of the Class 2 DSM supply curves
in the 2013 IRP relative to the 2011 IRP to address concerns regarding using too broad of
50 Facility type includes such attributes as existing or new construction, single or multi-family, etc. Facility types are
more fully described in the 2013 DSM potential study.
51 The identified technical potential represents the cumulative impact of Class 2 DSM measure installations in the
20th year of the study period. This may differ from the sum of individual years’ incremental impacts due to the
introduction of improved codes and standards over the study period. 52 Not all energy efficiency measures analyzed are applicable to all market segments. The two most common
reasons for this are (1) differences in existing and new construction and (2) some end-uses do not exist in all
building types. For example, a measure may look at the savings associated with increasing an existing home’s
insulation up to current code levels. However, this level of insulation would already be required in new construction,
and thus, would not be analyzed for the new construction segment. Similarly, certain measures, such as those
affecting commercial refrigeration would not be applicable to all commercial building types, depending on the
building’s primary business function; for example, office buildings would not typically have commercial
refrigeration.
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 6 – RESOURCE OPTIONS
147
measure costs within a bundle and its possible impact on the selection of bundled resources at or
near the IRP model’s economic selection point. The result was the creation of twenty-seven cost
bundles; eighteen more than were developed for the 2011 IRP.
Bundle development began with the Class 2 DSM technical potential identified by the 2013
DSM potential study. To account for the practical limits associated with acquiring all available
resources in any given year, the technical potential by measure was adjusted to reflect the
amount that is realistically achievable over the 20-year planning horizon. Consistent with the
Northwest’s aggressive53 regional planning assumptions, it was assumed that 85 percent of the
technical potential for discretionary (retrofit) resources and 72 percent of lost-opportunity (new
construction or equipment upgrade on failure) could be achievable over the 20-year planning
period. Over the planning period, the aggregate (both discretionary and lost opportunity)
achievable technical potential is 79 percent of the technical potential.
Consistent with the 2011 IRP, the technical achievable potential for each measure by state is
assigned a measure and market ramp rate, reflecting the relative state of technology and program
state specific delivery infrastructure/maturity, respectively. New technologies and states with
newer programs were assumed to take more time to ramp up than those with more extensive
track records.
The Energy Trust of Oregon (ETO) applies achievability assumptions and ramp rates in a similar
manner in its resource assessment. For a more detailed description of the methods used in
PacifiCorp’s 2013 DSM Potential Study and the ETO’s resource assessment, see Appendix D in
Volume II of this document. In contrast to the 2011 IRP, the ETO did not perform an economic
pre-screening of measures in the development of the Oregon DSM supply curves allowing
resource opportunities in Oregon to be economically screened in the IRP model in a comparable
way as is done across PacifiCorp’s other five states.
Twenty-seven cost bundles were available across six states (including Oregon), which equates to
189 Class 2 DSM supply curves. Table 6.20 shows the MWh potential for Class 2 DSM cost
bundles, designated by ranges of $/MWh. Table 6.21 shows the associated bundle price after
applying cost credits afforded to Class 2 DSM resources within the model. These cost credits
include the following:
A transmission and distribution investment deferral credit of $54/kW-year;
Stochastic risk reduction credit of $7.05/MWh54;
Northwest Power Act 10-percent credit (Oregon and Washington resources only)55
53 The Northwest’s achievability assumptions include savings realized through improved codes and standards and
market transformation, and thus, applying them to identified technical potential represents an aggressive view of
what could be achieved through utility DSM programs. 54 PacifiCorp developed this credit by taking the difference between a comparison of deterministic PaR runs for the
2011 IRP preferred portfolio with and without DSM and a comparison of stochastic PaR runs for the 2011 IRP
preferred portfolio with and without DSM and then dividing that difference by the MWh of DSM in the 2011 IRP
preferred portfolio. 55 The formula for calculating the $/MWh credit is: (Bundle price - ((First year MWh savings x market value x 10%)
+ (First year MWh savings x T&D deferral x 10%))/First year MWh savings. The levelized forward electricity price
for the Mid-Columbia market is used as the proxy market value.
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The bundle price is the average levelized cost for the group of measures in the cost range,
weighted by potential. In specifying the bundle cost breakpoints, narrower cost ranges were
defined for the lower-cost resources to improve the cost accuracy for the bundles considered
more likely to be selected by the System Optimizer model. The highest-cost bundles were
specified with wider cost breakpoints that are more granular than the cost ranges used in the
development of the 2011 IRP56.
Table 6.20 – Class 2 DSM MWh Potential by Cost Bundle
56 Increasing the granularity of the cost bundles between the 2011 IRP and 2013 IRP increased the number of total
bundles within each state and load bubble from 9 to 27, respectively.
Bundle California Idaho Oregon Utah Washington Wyoming
<= 10 12,499 47,610 386,701 1,158,187 149,999 260,077
10 - 20 20,796 33,861 266,687 561,726 55,791 368,790
20 - 30 8,122 16,448 415,912 259,141 61,938 89,097
30 - 40 6,731 15,149 319,680 147,314 39,224 73,359
40 - 50 6,057 22,737 230,316 114,005 52,318 41,511
50 - 60 6,221 12,542 187,293 296,558 21,271 46,368
60 - 70 3,092 42,507 30,576 169,084 30,652 35,426
70 - 80 10,223 3,952 130,529 42,672 11,993 34,507
80 - 90 6,236 26,341 27,734 59,885 21,866 8,132
90 - 100 2,545 4,690 163,658 123,069 11,629 24,313
100 - 110 13,516 5,116 26,496 143,361 13,967 52,805
110 - 120 2,049 32,070 80,433 120,914 14,856 9,397
120 - 130 3,657 942 136,215 52,796 36,833 7,200
130 - 140 465 2,040 159,330 7,810 2,631 8,554
140 - 150 1,056 8,866 9,889 20,569 9,489 9,930
150 - 160 10,928 5,589 699 9,366 37,975 16,832
160 - 170 536 2,610 15,893 34,191 11,759 2,208
170 - 180 3,330 780 1,380 37,774 12,784 1,923
180 - 190 1,701 3,055 40,912 9,847 2,945 9,364
190 - 200 3,009 1,597 16,093 32,717 2,926 11,293
200 - 250 4,691 10,981 22,796 199,384 38,157 12,118
250 - 300 2,333 5,849 33,267 103,864 14,683 18,227
300 - 400 8,166 12,931 14,581 72,193 18,759 52,596
400 - 500 3,020 2,336 11,141 62,203 19,659 23,462
500 - 750 2,077 5,753 11,028 29,966 9,048 14,670
750 - 1,000 2,213 13,313 6,853 15,890 26,499 8,578
> 1,000 5,176 6,541 6,543 133,702 25,666 22,650
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Table 6.21 – Class 2 DSM Adjusted Prices by Cost Bundle
To capture the time-varying impacts of Class 2 DSM resources, each bundle has an annual 8,760
hourly load shape specifying the portion of the maximum capacity available in any hour of the
year. These shapes are created by spreading measure-level annual energy savings over 8,760
load shapes, differentiated by state, sector, market segment, and end use accounting for the
hourly variance of Class 2 DSM impacts by measure. These hourly impacts are then aggregated
for all measures in a given bundle to create a single weighted average load shape for that bundle.
The load shape is composed of fractional values that represent each hour’s demand divided by
the maximum demand in any hour for that shape. For example, the hour with maximum demand
would have a value of 1.00 (100 percent), while an hour with half the maximum demand would
have a value of 0.50 (50 percent). Summing the fractional values for all of the hours, and then
multiplying this result by non-coincident peak-hour demand, produces the annual energy savings
represented by the supply curve.
To plan for DSM, a planning capacity factor is input into the System Optimizer model for each
bundle and year. To determine the planning capacity factor, an average of the capacity for hours
14 through 19 during the average July day is divided by the overall maximum capacity value
during the year for each bundle and year.
Levelized Cost after Adjustments ($/MWh)
Bundle California Idaho Oregon Utah Washington Wyoming
<= 10 - - - - - -
10 - 20 - - - - - 0.74
20 - 30 8.51 3.55 - 3.57 1.00 7.23
30 - 40 17.37 4.13 9.46 13.26 5.64 13.25
40 - 50 26.86 27.26 17.56 23.78 11.15 25.76
50 - 60 31.84 30.41 32.82 35.81 22.65 38.16
60 - 70 34.19 37.68 35.17 45.22 36.98 47.20
70 - 80 52.23 54.64 48.43 52.69 50.94 57.00
80 - 90 62.51 67.31 56.88 68.38 58.82 59.73
90 - 100 81.20 74.33 71.77 78.11 60.15 76.73
100 - 110 86.79 81.74 80.39 81.02 69.50 88.13
110 - 120 96.96 89.80 87.42 78.39 73.89 100.24
120 - 130 106.58 100.81 91.07 107.36 93.44 104.28
130 - 140 98.03 107.05 105.26 112.48 107.35 116.42
140 - 150 119.39 127.24 113.15 122.43 121.51 122.24
150 - 160 131.33 136.23 103.06 133.11 129.27 136.85
160 - 170 147.79 147.73 141.29 136.84 139.10 142.66
170 - 180 150.00 147.84 101.76 156.05 106.49 154.47
180 - 190 164.92 168.18 156.50 157.52 154.22 169.48
190 - 200 174.69 168.42 160.34 173.06 168.43 172.27
200 - 250 211.04 198.24 202.41 210.35 204.53 198.20
250 - 300 255.99 250.90 244.55 233.09 239.56 258.98
300 - 400 329.67 334.22 306.16 316.09 316.61 342.23
400 - 500 408.29 419.68 403.00 430.59 420.65 442.96
500 - 750 601.51 592.73 557.54 513.73 603.17 578.06
750 - 1,000 827.70 895.12 772.20 863.26 798.91 802.18
> 1,000 3,620.28 2,315.69 2,548.01 3,841.62 2,672.86 3,614.73
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 6 – RESOURCE OPTIONS
150
An accelerated Class 2 DSM acquisition scenario was created for inclusion in three of the IRP
core cases. Although the total available potential over the 20-year planning period did not change
for this scenario, discretionary resource acquisition was accelerated and market ramp rates were
removed57 to allow the System Optimizer model to select up to two percent of retail sales
annually in each state until discretionary resources were exhausted. In this scenario, the costs for
accelerated measures were increased to acknowledge that such a scenario would likely require
higher incentive and non-incentive program expenditures to expand participation and delivery
infrastructure58.
Distribution Energy Efficiency
In 2012, the Company conducted a pilot to assess the feasibility of distribution energy efficiency
for four circuits in Washington. Of the 0.09 aMW predicted to be acquired through the pilot, less
than 0.01 aMW was actually achieved. The pilot was not cost effective. Less than half of the
anticipated reduction in average voltage was achieved, and the estimated cost of energy savings
was $112.49/MWh. Following the pilot, the Company screened all active distribution circuits in
Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, and Utah and found that between 0 and 0.2 aMW of conservation
voltage reduction energy savings might exist within the Company’s service territory in those four
states. However, it is likely that pursuing measures in those states would not be cost effective.
Two key lessons from the pilot and subsequent screening effort are:
1) Most of the Company’s circuits are already operating at a relatively low voltage and
improvements necessary to allow an even lower voltage are not usually justified by the
value of the energy saved.
2) Small amounts of saved energy on the utility system cannot be accurately and repeatably
measured due to the dynamic interplay between the system and the customers’
requirements.
Distribution energy efficiency measures were not modeled as potential resources in this IRP,
since the Company found through its pilot that savings from such measures are unreliable and
generally not cost-effective. Further details on this pilot and its conclusions are provided in
Appendix E.
57 Hypothetical adjustments to real world constraints were made in order to provide sufficient Class 2 DSM
resources to allow the model to select up to 2 percent of retail sales in each state. 58 The resource cost adjustments in the accelerated DSM scenario may not represent the actual costs of such a
scenario; there was limited information available to inform the Company what costs would be required to facilitate
this level of customer participation in markets with low retail rates and limited capital.
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 6 – RESOURCE OPTIONS
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Transmission Resources
For this IRP, PacifiCorp investigated five Energy Gateway scenarios, consisting of various
combinations of transmission segments. Detailed information on the scenarios and associated
modeling approach and findings are provided in Chapter 4.
In this IRP, adjustments to fixed O&M costs were developed to model the additional costs of
transmission upgrades to interconnect certain supply-side resources to the Company’s system.
Table 6.22 below shows fixed O&M cost associated with these transmission upgrades by
resource and location.
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 6 – RESOURCE OPTIONS
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Table 6.22 – Transmission Upgrades by Supply-Side Resource and Location
Fuel Resource Location
Elevation
(AFSL)
Transmission Cost
Stated in 2012 $/kw-
year
Natural Gas SCCT Aero x3, ISO Portland /0 $37.92
Natural Gas Intercooled SCCT Aero x1, ISO North Coast 0 $37.92
Natural Gas SCCT Frame "F" x1, ISO 0 $37.92
Natural Gas IC Recips x6, ISO 0 $37.92
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "F", 2x1, ISO 0 $37.92
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "F", DF, 2x1, ISO 0 $37.92
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "G/H", 1x1, ISO 0 $37.92
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "G/H", DF, 1x1, ISO 0 $37.92
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "G/H", 2x1, ISO 0 $37.92
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "G/H", DF, 2x1, ISO 0 $37.92
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "J", Adv 1x1, ISO 0 $37.92
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "J", DF, Adv 1x1, ISO 0 $37.92
Natural Gas SCCT Aero x3, ISO Willamette 0 $55.12
Natural Gas Intercooled SCCT Aero x1, ISO Valley 0 $55.12
Natural Gas SCCT Frame "F" x1, ISO 0 $55.12
Natural Gas SCCT Aero x3, ISO Walla Walla 1,500 $3.51
Natural Gas Intercooled SCCT Aero x1, ISO 1,500 $3.51
Natural Gas SCCT Frame "F" x1, ISO 1,500 $3.51
Natural Gas IC Recips x6, ISO 1,500 $3.51
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "F", 2x1, ISO 1,500 $3.51
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "F", DF, 2x1, ISO 1,500 $3.51
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "G/H", 1x1, ISO 1,500 $3.51
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "G/H", DF, 1x1, ISO 1,500 $3.51
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "G/H", 2x1, ISO 1,500 $3.51
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "G/H", DF, 2x1, ISO 1,500 $3.51
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "J", Adv 1x1, ISO 1,500 $3.51
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "J", DF, Adv 1x1, ISO 1,500 $3.51
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "G/H", 1x1, ISO Yakima 1,500 $3.51
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "G/H", DF, 1x1, ISO 1,500 $3.51
Natural Gas SCCT Frame "F" x1, ISO 1,500 $3.51
Natural Gas Intercooled SCCT Aero x1, ISO 1,500 $3.51
Natural Gas SCCT Aero x3, ISO Salt Lake 4,250 $12.80
Natural Gas Intercooled SCCT Aero x1, ISO Valley 4,250 $12.80
Natural Gas SCCT Frame "F" x1, ISO 4,250 $12.80
Natural Gas IC Recips x6, ISO 4,250 $12.80
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "F", 2x1, ISO 4,250 $12.80
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "F", DF, 2x1, ISO 4,250 $12.80
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "G/H", 1x1, ISO 5,050 $12.80
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "G/H", DF, 1x1, ISO 5,050 $12.80
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "G/H", 2x1, ISO 5,050 $12.80
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "G/H", DF, 2x1, ISO 5,050 $12.80
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "J", Adv 1x1, ISO 5,050 $12.80
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "J", DF, Adv 1x1, ISO 5,050 $12.80
Natural Gas SCCT Aero x3, ISO Eastern 4,250 $29.32
Natural Gas Intercooled SCCT Aero x1, ISO Wyoming 4,250 $29.32
Natural Gas SCCT Frame "F" x1, ISO 4,250 $29.32
Natural Gas IC Recips x6, ISO 4,250 $29.32
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "F", 2x1, ISO 5,050 $29.32
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "F", DF, 2x1, ISO 5,050 $29.32
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "G/H", 1x1, ISO 5,050 $29.32
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "G/H", DF, 1x1, ISO 5,050 $29.32
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "G/H", 2x1, ISO 5,050 $29.32
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "G/H", DF, 2x1, ISO 5,050 $29.32
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "J", Adv 1x1, ISO 5,050 $29.32
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "J", DF, Adv 1x1, ISO 5,050 $29.32
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 6 – RESOURCE OPTIONS
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Table 6.22 – Transmission Upgrades by Supply-Side Resource and Location (Continued)
Fuel Resource Location
Elevation
(AFSL)
Transmission Cost
Stated in 2012 $/kw-
year
Natural Gas SCCT Aero x3, ISO Idaho 4,250 $3.44
Natural Gas Intercooled SCCT Aero x1, ISO 4,250 $3.44
Natural Gas SCCT Frame "F" x1, ISO 4,250 $3.44
Natural Gas IC Recips x6, ISO 4,250 $3.44
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "G/H", 1x1, ISO 5,050 $3.44
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "G/H", DF, 1x1, ISO 5,050 $3.44
Natural Gas SCCT Aero x3, ISO Southern 4,250 $18.96
Natural Gas Intercooled SCCT Aero x1, ISO Oregon 4,250 $18.96
Natural Gas SCCT Frame "F" x1, ISO 4,250 $18.96
Natural Gas IC Recips x6, ISO 4,250 $18.96
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "F", 2x1, ISO 4,250 $18.96
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "F", DF, 2x1, ISO 4,250 $18.96
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "G/H", 1x1, ISO 5,050 $18.96
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "G/H", DF, 1x1, ISO 5,050 $18.96
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "G/H", 2x1, ISO 5,050 $18.96
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "G/H", DF, 2x1, ISO 5,050 $18.96
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "J", Adv 1x1, ISO 5,050 $18.96
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "J", DF, Adv 1x1, ISO 5,050 $18.96
Natural Gas SCCT Aero x3, ISO Utah 4,250 $7.94
Natural Gas Intercooled SCCT Aero x1, ISO South 4,250 $7.94
Natural Gas SCCT Frame "F" x1, ISO 4,250 $7.94
Natural Gas IC Recips x6, ISO 4,250 $7.94
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "F", 2x1, ISO 5,050 $7.94
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "F", DF, 2x1, ISO 5,050 $7.94
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "G/H", 1x1, ISO 5,050 $7.94
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "G/H", DF, 1x1, ISO 5,050 $7.94
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "G/H", 2x1, ISO 5,050 $7.94
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "G/H", DF, 2x1, ISO 5,050 $7.94
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "J", Adv 1x1, ISO 5,050 $7.94
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "J", DF, Adv 1x1, ISO 5,050 $7.94
Natural Gas Intercooled SCCT Aero x1, ISO SW 6,500 $12.27
Natural Gas SCCT Frame "F" x1, ISO Wyoming 6,500 $12.27
Natural Gas IC Recips x6, ISO 6,500 $12.27
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "F", 2x1, ISO 5,050 $12.27
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "F", DF, 2x1, ISO 5,050 $12.27
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "G/H", 1x1, ISO 5,050 $12.27
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "G/H", DF, 1x1, ISO 5,050 $12.27
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "G/H", 2x1, ISO 6,500 $12.27
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "G/H", DF, 2x1, ISO 6,500 $12.27
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "J", Adv 1x1, ISO 6,500 $12.27
Natural Gas CCCT Dry "J", DF, Adv 1x1, ISO 6,500 $12.27
Coal IGCC with CCS Wyoming 6,500 $29.32
Geothermal Generic Geothermal PPA 90% CF OT/UT 4,500 $0.00
Wind 2.3 MW turbine 29% CF (EG 1, 2 and 4)1 WA/OR 1,500 $35.07
Wind 2.3 MW turbine 29% CF (EG 3 and 5)WA/OR 1,500 $0.00
Wind 2.3 MW turbine 29% CF Utah 4,500 $7.94
Wind 2.3 MW turbine 29% CF Idaho 4,500 $3.44
Wind 2.3 MW turbine 40% CF Wyoming 6,500 $0.00
Solar PV Poly-Si Fixed Tilt 22% CF Various 4,500 $0.00
Solar PV Poly-Si Fixed Tilt 28% CF Utah 4,500 $6.99
Solar PV Poly-Si Single Tracking 33% CF Utah 4,500 $6.99
Biomass Forestry Byproduct Various 1,500 $0.00
Storage Pumped Storage Utah South 4,500 $17.83
Storage Sodium-Sulfur Battery Various 4,500 0
Storage Advanced Fly Wheel Various 4,500 0
Storage CAES SW Wyoming 4,500 $8.57
Nuclear Advanced Fission Utah 4,500 $25.12
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154
Market Purchases
PacifiCorp and other utilities engage in purchases and sales of electricity on an ongoing basis to
balance the system and maximize the economic efficiency of power system operations. In
addition to reflecting spot market purchase activity and existing long-term purchase contracts in
the IRP portfolio analysis, PacifiCorp modeled front office transactions (FOT). FOTs are proxy
resources, assumed to be firm, that represent procurement activity made on an annual forward
basis to help the Company cover short positions.
As proxy resources, FOTs represent a range of purchase transaction types. They are usually
standard products, such as heavy load hour (HLH), light load hour (LLH), and/or daily HLH call
options (the right to buy or “call” energy at a “strike” price) and typically rely on standard
enabling agreements as a contracting vehicle. FOT prices are determined at the time of the
transaction, usually via a third party broker and based on the view of each respective party
regarding the then-current forward market price for power. An optimal mix of these purchases
would include a range of volumes and terms for these transactions.
Solicitations for FOTs can be made years, quarters or months in advance. Annual transactions
can be available up to as much as three or more years in advance. Seasonal transactions are
typically delivered during quarters and can be available from one to three years or more in
advance. The terms, points of delivery, and products will all vary by individual market point.
Two FOT types were included for portfolio analysis: an annual flat product, and a HLH third
quarter product. An annual flat product reflects energy provided to PacifiCorp at a constant
delivery rate over all the hours of a year. Third-quarter HLH transactions represent purchases
received 16 hours per day, six days per week from July through September. Because these are
firm products the counterparties supply the reserves; and back the supply. For example, a 100
MW front office purchase requires the seller to deliver 100 MW to PacifiCorp regardless of
circumstance.59 Thus, to insure delivery, the seller must hold the required level of reserves as
warranted by its system to insure supply. For this reason, PacifiCorp does not need to hold
additional reserves on its 100 MW firm front office purchase. Table 6.23 shows the FOT
resources included in the IRP models, identifying the market hub, product type, annual megawatt
capacity limit, and availability.
Table 6.23 – Maximum Available Front Office Transaction Quantity by Market Hub
Market Hub/Proxy FOT Product Type Megawatt Limit and Availability
Mid-Columbia
Flat Annual (“7x24”) and
3 rd Quarter Heavy Load Hour (“6x16”)
400 MW + 375 MW with 10% price
premium, 2013-2032
California Oregon Border (COB)
Flat Annual (“7x24”) and
3 rd Quarter Heavy Load Hour (“6x16”)
400 MW, 2013-2032
Southern Oregon / Northern California
(NOB)
3rd Quarter Heavy Load Hour (“6x16”)
100 MW, 2013-2032
59 Typically, the only exception would be under force majeure. Otherwise, the seller is required to deliver the full
amount even if the seller has to acquire it at an exorbitant price.
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155
Market Hub/Proxy FOT Product Type Megawatt Limit and Availability
Mead
3 rd Quarter, Heavy Load Hour (6x16)
190 MW, 2013-2014
0 MW, 2015+
Mona
3 rd Quarter, Heavy Load Hour (6x16) 300 MW, 2013+
To arrive at these maximum quantities, PacifiCorp considered the following:
Historical operational data and institutional experience with transactions at the market
hubs.
The Company’s forward market view, including an assessment of expected physical
delivery constraints and market liquidity and depth.
Financial and risk management consequences associated with acquiring purchases at
higher levels, such as additional credit and liquidity costs.
Prices for FOT purchases are associated with specific market hubs and are set to the relevant
forward market prices, time period, and location, plus appropriate wheeling charges.
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PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 7 – MODELING APPROACH
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CHAPTER 7 – MODELING AND PORTFOLIO
EVALUATION APPROACH
Introduction
The IRP modeling approach seeks to determine the comparative cost, risk, and reliability
attributes of resource portfolios. These portfolio attributes form the basis of an overall
quantitative portfolio performance evaluation. This chapter describes the modeling and risk
analysis process that supported that portfolio performance evaluation. The information drawn
from this process, summarized in Chapter 8, was used to determine PacifiCorp’s preferred
portfolio and support the analysis of resource acquisition risks.
CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS
The IRP modeling approach seeks to determine the comparative cost, risk, and
reliability attributes of resource portfolios. The 2013 IRP modeling approach
consists of eight phases, from defining scenarios for portfolio development—
referred to as “cases,” to final selection of preferred portfolio based on costs and
risk measures.
PacifiCorp worked closely with stakeholders to define 19 core cases that were
applied uniformly across five Energy Gateway transmission scenarios and
developed an additional 12 sensitivity cases reflecting alternative assumptions for
load forecasts, availability of renewable resource federal tax incentives, renewable
portfolio standard modeling, Class 3 demand-side management (DSM) resource
availability, and coal unit environmental investments. In total 106 portfolios, each
analyzing unit-by-unit environmental investments in existing coal resources, were
developed and risk assessment studies were completed for 37 portfolios among
three carbon dioxide (CO2) tax levels.
Three underlying natural gas price forecasts (low, medium, and high) were used to
develop gas price projections consistent with a range of CO2 price assumptions:
zero, medium, and high, plus U.S. hard cap prices required for the power sector to
achieve an 80% reduction in emission by 2050 using both medium and high natural
gas price assumptions.
Top-performing portfolios were selected on the basis of system costs using Monte
Carlo simulations over a twenty year planning horizon. The Monte Carlo runs
capture stochastic behavior of electricity prices, natural gas prices, loads, thermal
unit availability, and hydro availability across 100 iterations.
Final preferred portfolio selection considers additional criteria such as risk-adjusted
portfolio cost, CO2 emissions, supply reliability, resource diversity, and attainability
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 7 – MODELING APPROACH
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The 2013 IRP modeling approach consists of eight phases, depicted as a flow chart in Figure 7.1.
The eight phases are as follows:
(1) Define input scenarios, referred to as cases, characterized by varying assumptions for
CO2 prices, commodity gas prices, wholesale electricity prices, coal prices,
environmental policy and other cost drivers.
(2) Case-specific price forecast development, where natural gas and power price
assumptions are developed consistent with the definitions for each case.
(3) Optimized portfolio development for each case that excludes RPS assumptions using
PacifiCorp’s System Optimizer capacity expansion model.
(4) Development of a renewable resource floor, reflecting renewable resource additions
chosen in optimized portfolios, developed in Phase 3 of the modeling approach, that
meet RPS requirements in cases that include RPS assumptions. This is a new step in
the modeling process for the 2013 IRP that relies upon the RPS Scenario Maker
model.
(5) Optimized portfolio development for each case that includes RPS assumptions using
PacifiCorp’s System Optimizer capacity expansion model requiring renewable
resource additions that include at least those renewable resources developed in Phase
4 of the modeling approach.
(6) Monte Carlo production cost simulation of optimized portfolios using PacifiCorp’s
Planning and Risk (PaR) model to support stochastic risk analysis.
(7) Selection of top-performing portfolios using a three-phase screening process
(preliminary screening, initial screening, and final screening) that incorporates
stochastic portfolio cost and risk assessment measures, and
(8) Preliminary preferred portfolio selection followed by final selection of the preferred
portfolio.
This chapter describes the overall modeling approach, including a discussion of modeling and
price assumptions, and provides a profile of each modeling phase described above.
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Figure 7.1 – Modeling and Risk Analysis Process
Portfolio Modeling: System Optimizer
The System Optimizer model operates by minimizing for each year the operating costs for
existing resources, taking into consideration potential compliance alternatives to coal unit
environmental investments, subject to system load balance, reliability and other constraints. Over
the 20-year study period, it optimizes resource additions subject to resource investment and
capacity constraints (monthly peak loads plus a planning reserve margin for each load area
represented in the model). In the event that early retirement of a coal unit is a lower cost
alternative to installation of coal unit environmental investments, the System Optimizer model
will select additional resources as required to meet monthly peak loads inclusive of a planning
reserve margin.
To accomplish these optimization objectives, the model performs a time-of-day least-cost
dispatch for existing and potential planned generation, contract, DSM, and transmission
resources. The dispatch is based on a representative-week method. Time-of-day hourly blocks
are simulated according to a user-specified day-type pattern representing an entire week. Each
month is represented by one week, with results scaled to the number of days in the month and
then the number of months in the year. The dispatch also determines optimal electricity flows
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between zones and includes spot market transactions for system balancing. The model minimizes
the overall PVRR, consisting of the net present value of contract and spot market purchase costs,
generation costs (fuel, fixed and variable operation and maintenance, unserved energy, and
unmet capacity), and amortized capital costs for planned resources.
Modeling Capital Costs and Addressing “End-Effects”
For capital cost derivation, System Optimizer uses annual capital recovery factors to convert
capital dollars into real levelized revenue requirement costs to address end-effects issues
associated with capital-intensive investments that have different lives and in-service dates. All
capital costs evaluated in the IRP are converted to real levelized revenue requirement costs. Use
of real levelized revenue requirement costs is an established and preferred methodology to
account for analysis of capital investment decisions that have unequal lives and/or when it is not
feasible to capture operating costs and benefits over the entire life of any given investment
decision. To achieve this, the real levelized revenue requirement method spreads the return of
investment (book depreciation), return on investment (equity and debt), property taxes and
income taxes over the life of the investment. The result is an annuity or annual payment that
grows at inflation such that the PVRR is identical to the PVRR of the nominal annual
requirement when using the same nominal discount rate. For the 2013 IRP, the PVRR is
calculated inclusive of real levelized capital revenue requirement through the end of the 2032
planning period. PacifiCorp uses the real-levelized capital costs produced by System Optimizer
for portfolio cost reporting by the PaR model.
In prior IRPs, growth station resources were included as generic resource alternatives in the out
years of the IRP planning horizon. Historically, this resource option was used to balance
capacity in each load area as a means to manage simulation run times by simplifying resource
selection beyond the first 10 years of the planning period. Growth stations were ascribed costs
derived from the forward power price curve. Upon expanding the scope of the 2013 IRP to
evaluate coal unit environmental investments in all System Optimizer simulations, the use of
growth resources was eliminated, allowing selection of supply and demand side resource
alternatives in meeting loads over the entire 20 year planning horizon. This approach is required
to ensure that the economics of potential early coal unit retirements capture the full cost of
replacement resources over the long-term.
Modeling Front Office Transactions
Front office transactions (FOTs) are assumed to be transacted on a one-year basis, and are
represented as available in each year of the study. For capacity optimization modeling, System
Optimizer engages in market transactions. FOT transactions are firm forward power purchases
that contribute capacity and energy to the system. System balancing transactions are short-term
purchases and sales used to balance energy supply with demand in all hours across the system.
System balancing purchases are energy transactions and do not contribute in meeting system
capacity and planning reserve margin needs.
The FOTs modeled in the PaR model generally have the same characteristics as those modeled in
the System Optimizer, except that transaction prices reflect wholesale forward electric market
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prices that are “shocked” according to a stochastic modeling process prior to simulation
execution.
Modeling Wind and Solar Resources
Wind and solar resources are modeled as non-dispatchable, must-run resources in both the
System Optimizer and PaR models using fixed energy profiles that vary by month and time of
day. The total energy generation for wind and solar resources represents the expected generation
levels in which half of the time actual generation would fall below expected levels, and half of
the time actual generation would be above expected levels.
In this IRP, the peak contribution of the wind resources is set at 4.2 percent, which was
determined based upon review of actual wind generation data interconnected to PacifiCorp’s
system. The peak contribution of solar resources is set at 13.6 percent, which is based on third
party information due to the lack of sufficient actual solar resource generation data within the
Company’s system. Volume II, Appendix O of this report discusses the details of the
methodology that determined the peak contribution assumptions for wind and solar resources.
Modeling Coal Unit Environmental Investments
Building upon modeling techniques developed in the 2011 IRP and 2011 IRP Update,
environmental investments required to achieve compliance with known and prospective
regulations at existing coal resources have been integrated into the portfolio modeling process
for the 2013 IRP. Potential alternatives to environmental investments associated with known and
prospective compliance obligations are considered in the development of all resource portfolios.
Integrating potential environmental investment decisions into the portfolio development process
allows each portfolio to reflect potential early retirement and resource replacement and/or natural
gas conversion as alternatives to incremental environmental investment projects on a unit-by-unit
basis. This advancement in analytical approach marks a significant evolution of the IRP process
as it requires consideration of potential resource contraction while simultaneously analyzing
alternative resource expansion plans.
Integrating coal unit environmental investment decisions in the development of resource
portfolios identifies whether investments are cost effective in relation to other compliance
alternatives. However, additional analysis is required to numerically quantify the economic
benefit of investment decisions required on any given unit as compared to the next best
alternative. Confidential Volume III summarizes additional analysis of coal unit environmental
investments that are used to quantify the economic benefits of specific investment decisions that
have been analyzed in the development of resource portfolios for the 2013 IRP.
Table 7.1 outlines the type of costs that are assigned to existing coal units configured with early
retirement and gas conversion alternatives.
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Table 7.1 Resource Costs, Existing and Associated Gas Conversion Alternatives
Incremental capital
for environmental
investments
Variable reagent costs
for incremental
environmental
investments
Run-rate operations &
maintenance (O&M)
and capital
Incremental mine
capital (as applicable)
Cash coal fuel costs
End-of-life
decommissioning
Decommissioning
costs
Recovery of
incremental
environmental capital
and run-rate capital
spent prior to early
retirement date
Coal contract
liquidated damages
(as applicable)
Up-front capital cost
Run-rate operations &
maintenance (O&M)
Fixed and variable
natural gas
transportation
Natural gas fuel cost
Recovery of
incremental
environmental capital
and run-rate capital
spent prior to gas
conversion
Coal contract
liquidated damages
(as applicable)
Reserve Margin Requirement
In the System Optimizer model, PacifiCorp continues to apply a 13 percent planning reserve
margin. The planning reserve margin is used to ensure that the Company has sufficient resources
to meet peak loads recognizing that there is a possibility for load fluctuation and extreme
weather conditions, a possibility for unplanned resource outages, and a requirement to carry
contingency and regulating reserves.
In the PaR model, explicit categories of operational reserve requirements are modeled. The
contingency reserves are approximately 7 percent of the system load. The amount of regulating
reserves includes ramping of load, as well as requirement to integrate variable energy resources,
such as wind. The reserve requirements to integrate wind resources are the results of
PacifiCorp’s 2012 Wind Integration Study, which is presented in Volume II, Appendix H of this
report. The forced outages and fluctuation in load due to temperature are reflected in the
modeling of resource availability and simulated in the stochastic runs.
Modeling Energy Gateway Transmission Scenarios
The Energy Gateway transmission project is modeled in this IRP under five scenarios. The
scenarios for Energy Gateway transmission paths are modeled as fixed inputs to both the System
Optimizer and PaR models, which cannot endogenously add additional transmission resources as
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can be done for supply and demand side resources. The costs of Energy Gateway segments are
modeled as a real levelized revenue requirement, as discussed above, based on a real levelized
capital recovery factor of 7.069 percent, which intends to recover the investment cost of the
assets, return on and of capital, income taxes and property taxes. Fixed operating and
maintenance costs are also included in the model as 1.07 percent of the investment.
Modeling Energy Storage Technologies
Energy storage resources in both System Optimizer and PaR models are distinguished from other
resources by the following three attributes:
Energy “take” – generation or extraction of energy from a reservoir on-peak;
Energy “return” – energy used to fill (or charge) a reservoir off-peak; and
Storage cycle efficiency – an indicator of the energy loss involved in storing and
extracting energy over the course of the take-return cycle.
The models require specification of a reservoir size. For System Optimizer and PaR models,
reservoir size is defined in gigawatt-hours. System Optimizer dispatches a storage resource to
optimize energy used by the resource subject to constraints such as storage cycle efficiency, the
daily balance of take and return energy, and fuel costs (for example, the cost of natural gas for
expanding air with gas turbine expanders). To determine the least-cost resource expansion plan,
the model accounts for conventional generation system performance and cost characteristics of
the storage resource, including investment cost, capacity factor, heat rate (if fuel is used),
operating and maintenance cost, minimum capacity, and maximum capacity.
In the PaR model, simulations are conducted on a week-ahead basis. The model operates the
storage plant to balance generation and charging, accounting for cycle efficiency losses, in order
to end the week in the same net energy position as it began. The model chooses periods to
generate and return energy to minimize system cost. It does this by calculating an hourly value of
energy for charging. This value of energy, a form of marginal cost, is used as the cost of
generation for dispatch purposes, and is derived from calculations of system cost and unit
commitment effects. For compressed air energy storage (CAES) plants, a heat rate is included as
a parameter to capture fuel conversion efficiency. The heat rates entered in both models
represent the use of PacifiCorp’s off-peak coal-fired plants.
General Assumptions and Price Inputs
Study Period and Date Conventions
PacifiCorp executes its IRP models for a 20-year period beginning January 1, 2013 and ending
December 31, 2032. Future IRP resources reflected in model simulations are given an in-service
date of January 1st of a given year, with the exception of natural gas conversion alternatives to
incremental environmental investments required at existing coal units, which are given an in-
service date of June 1st for the year gas conversion is completed.
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Escalation Rates and Other Financial Parameters
Inflation Rates
The IRP model simulations and price forecasts reflect PacifiCorp’s corporate inflation rate
schedule unless otherwise noted. For the System Optimizer model, a single escalation rate value
is used. This value, 1.9 percent, is estimated as the average of the annual corporate inflation rates
for the period 2013 to 2032, using PacifiCorp’s March 2012 inflation curve. PacifiCorp’s
inflation curve is a straight average of forecasts for Gross Domestic Product (GDP) inflator and
Consumer Price Index (CPI).
Discount Factor
The rate used for discounting in financial calculations is PacifiCorp’s after-tax weighted average
cost of capital (WACC). The value used for the 2013 IRP is 6.882 percent. The use of the after-
tax WACC complies with the Public Utility Commission of Oregon’s IRP guideline 1a, which
requires that the after-tax WACC be used to discount all future resource costs.60
Federal Renewable Resource Tax Incentives
In the current IRP, it is assumed that federal production tax credits (PTC) for qualifying
renewable resources are expired and that the federal investment tax credits (ITC) for qualifying
renewable resources will expire at the end of 2016, consistent with the Emergency Economic
Stabilization Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-343), which allows utilities to claim the 30 percent ITC for
solar facilities placed in service by January 1, 2017. This tax credit is factored into the capital
cost for solar resource options in the System Optimizer model. Select cases evaluated for the
2013 IRP assume federal PTCs and ITCs are extended through 2019.
Asset Lives
Table 7.2 lists the generation resource asset book lives assumed for levelized fixed charge
calculations.
60 Public Utility Commission of Oregon, Order No. 07-002, Docket No. UM 1056, January 8, 2007.
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Table 7.2 – Resource Book Lives
Integrated Gasification Combined-Cycle with carbon capture and sequestration 40
Combined Cycle Combustion Turbine (CCCT) 40
Pumped Storage 50
Simple Cycle Combustion Turbine (SCCT) Frame 35
Solar Photovoltaic 25
Solar Thermal 30
Compressed Air Energy Storage 30
Single Cycle Combustion Turbine (SCCT) Aero 30
Intercooled Aeroderivative SCCT 30
Internal Combustion Engine 20
Fuel Cells 20
Wind 25
Battery Storage 30
Biomass 30
Nuclear Plant 40
CHP - Reciprocating Engine 20
CHP - Gas Turbine 20
CHP - Microturbine 10
CHP - Fuel Cell 10
CHP - Commercial Biomass, Anaerobic Digester 17
CHP - Industrial Biomass Waste 17
Solar - Rooftop Photovoltaic 30
Solar - Water Heaters 20
Transmission System Representation
PacifiCorp uses a transmission topology consisting of 19 bubbles (electrically connected areas)
in its eastern balancing authority area and 18 bubbles in its western balancing authority area
designed to best describe major load and generation centers, regional transmission congestion
impacts, import/export availability, and external market dynamics. Firm transmission paths link
the bubbles. The transfer capabilities for these links represent PacifiCorp Merchant’s current
firm rights on the transmission lines. This topology is defined for both the System Optimizer and
PaR models.
Figure 7.2 shows the IRP transmission system model topology. Segments of the planned Energy
Gateway Transmission Project are indicated with red dashed lines and with alphabetic names.
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Figure 7.2 – Transmission System Model Topology
The most significant change to the model topology from the 2011 IRP is the addition of four new
bubbles and the identification of the Energy Gateway line segments.
The Hemingway bubble addition was essential for modeling the Energy Gateway path
“H” of Hemingway-Boardman-Bethel with bi-directional capabilities, and to improve the
ability to model the separate transfer capability through the Idaho Power system.
The Midpoint-Meridian bubble addition is an improved representation of existing east to
west transfer capability. This modeling of the legacy contract is needed since it contains
provisions limiting what energy may be transferred on the west side of the Idaho Power
system.
The Bridger Constraint bubble addition is included to model a reliability constraint
consistent with operations that limits the transfer from Jim Bridger to the east balancing
authority area to three of the four generating units.
The Nevada Oregon Border (NOB) bubble addition is to provide existing access to the
California ISO market via PacifiCorp’s DC Intertie rights in the model. Without this
addition the benefits of the existing rights would not be apparent.
The 2011 IRP utilized separate wind bubbles in order to assign incremental transmission
interconnection investment costs to the wind resources. However, in the current IRP, the
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incremental transmission costs are assigned directly to the wind resources and, therefore,
eliminated the need to model separate wind bubbles.
Carbon Dioxide Regulatory Compliance Scenarios
Carbon Dioxide Scenarios
Table 7.3 shows five different sets of CO2 price assumptions used in the 2013 IRP. Each CO2
price scenario is accompanied by a consistent set of natural gas and wholesale power price
assumptions. For modeling purposes, the cost of CO2 emissions are applied as a tax in which
there is a cost imputed on each ton of CO2 emissions generated by system resources. This
approach is used in recognition that there are a wide range of policy mechanisms that might be
used to regulate CO2 emissions in the power sector at some point in the future. Application of
CO2 prices as a tax is a means to assign costs to CO2 emissions as a surrogate for a wide range of
potential future policy tools, whether implemented as a tax, cap-and-trade program, emission
performance standards, or some other policy mechanism. Each of the CO2 price scenarios used in
the 2013 IRP is discussed in turn below:
Zero CO2 Price Scenario
Given that there is currently no specific legislative proposal that has been passed by Congress for
the President’s consideration and no current federal regulation that would impose a direct cost on
CO2 emissions, the 2013 IRP includes a zero CO2 price scenario. Under this scenario, there is no
direct cost applied to CO2 emissions from generation sources throughout the IRP 20-year
planning horizon.
Medium CO2 Price Scenario
The medium CO2 price scenario ascribes a cost to CO2 emissions within ten years of 2013, and
as such, prices are assumed beginning in 2022. Price levels in this scenario are consistent with
recent projections from third party forecasters. Price levels in the medium CO2 price scenario
are generally aligned with a price signal that would be required to induce switching from coal to
natural gas-fired generation sources with an assumed annual real escalation rate of 3 percent.
High CO2 Price Scenario
Under the high CO2 price scenario, a cost is ascribed to CO2 emissions beginning 2020, which is
two years earlier than in the medium CO2 price scenario. Under the high scenario, it is assumed
that regulation would ramp into more stringent requirements over the first two years (in 2020 and
2021). The high scenario reflects how prospective CO2 prices might respond to a future with new
regulations that would impose costs on fossil fuel sources and new regulations that could
increase natural gas prices (i.e. regulations that would increase the cost of natural gas supply).
Under such a scenario, the CO2 price signal required to induce switching from coal to natural
gas-fired generation sources would be higher as compared to the medium CO2 price scenario,
and the resulting price trajectory is similar to the price ceiling that was included in a climate and
energy bill proposed by Senator John Kerry and Senator Joe Lieberman in the American Power
Act of 2010.
U.S. Hard Cap, Medium Natural Gas CO2 Price Scenario
This scenario reflects a CO2 price trajectory produced using the Integrated Planning Model
(IPM®) assuming a generic cap-and-trade program is imposed upon the power sector of the U.S.
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 7 – MODELING APPROACH
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economy beginning in 2020 with declining annual emission limits that reach 80 percent below
2005 levels by 2050. In this simplified analysis, it was assumed that domestic and international
CO2 offsets could not be used to mitigate power sector emissions, and the resulting CO2 price
projection was developed off of medium natural gas price assumptions.
U.S. Hard Cap, High Natural Gas CO2 Price Scenario
As in the U.S. hard cap scenario described above, this scenario reflects a CO2 price trajectory
resulting from a cap-and-trade program imposed upon the power sector of the U.S. economy
beginning in 2020 with declining annual emission limits that reach 80 percent below 2005 levels
by 2050. Similarly, it is assumed that domestic and international offsets cannot be used to
mitigate power sector emissions. In this variant of the U.S. hard cap CO2 price scenario, the CO2
price projection was developed off of high natural gas price assumptions. With higher natural
gas price assumptions, the resulting CO2 price level is higher than those developed for the U.S.
Hard Cap, Medium Natural Gas CO2 Price Scenario.
Table 7.3 CO2 Price Scenarios
2
2020 $0.00 $0.00 $13.53 $47.47 $57.08
2021 $0.00 $0.00 $19.68 $50.86 $61.17
2022 $0.00 $16.00 $26.05 $54.49 $65.53
2023 $0.00 $16.78 $32.67 $58.38 $70.21
2024 $0.00 $17.61 $39.52 $62.55 $75.22
2025 $0.00 $18.47 $46.62 $67.01 $80.59
2026 $0.00 $19.37 $49.88 $71.80 $86.34
2027 $0.00 $20.32 $53.37 $76.94 $92.52
2028 $0.00 $21.32 $57.11 $82.44 $99.14
2029 $0.00 $22.36 $61.10 $88.35 $106.24
2030 $0.00 $23.46 $65.38 $94.67 $113.84
2031 $0.00 $24.63 $70.02 $101.55 $122.12
2032 $0.00 $25.86 $74.99 $108.88 $132.25
Figure 7.3 compares the five CO2 price scenarios graphically, and Table 7.4 shows the U.S.
power sector projected carbon emissions through 2050 under the U.S. Hard Cap Scenario.
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Figure 7.3 – Carbon Dioxide Price Scenario Comparison
$-
$20
$40
$60
$80
$100
$120
$140
20
1
3
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Low ($0)Base (Sept 2012 OFPC)High Hard Cap - Base Gas Hard Cap - High Gas
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 7 – MODELING APPROACH
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Table 7.4 Carbon Reduction under U.S. Hard Cap Scenarios
Year
Potential Hard Cap Reduction Scenario: 80%
reduction from 2005 CO2 power sector emission levels
by 2050 (short tons)
2005 2,617,96061
2020 2,200,511
2021 2,144,614
2022 2,088,716
2023 2,032,819
2024 1,976,922
2025 1,921,024
2026 1,865,127
2027 1,809,230
2028 1,753,333
2029 1,697,435
2030 1,641,538
2031 1,585,641
2032 1,529,743
2033 1,473,846
2034 1,417,949
2035 1,362,052
2050 523,593
Oregon Environmental Cost Guideline Compliance
The Oregon Public Utility Commission (OPUC), in their IRP guidelines, directs utilities to
construct a base-case scenario that reflects what it considers to be the most likely regulatory
compliance future for CO2, as well as alternative scenarios “ranging from the present CO2
regulatory level to the upper reaches of credible proposals by governing entities.” Modeling
portfolios with no CO2 cost represents the current regulatory level. The base scenario was
considered the most likely regulatory compliance scenario at the time that IRP CO2 scenarios
were being prepared and vetted by public stakeholders (early fall of 2012). Given the late-2010
collapse of comprehensive federal energy legislation and loss of momentum for implementing
federal carbon pricing schemes, it is not likely Congress will pass federal climate change
legislation for consideration by the President over the near-term. At this time, it is likely that
federal CO2 regulations will come in the form of new source performance standards, applicable
to both new and existing electric generating units.
PacifiCorp believes that its CO2 tax and hard cap scenarios reflect a reasonable range of
compliance futures for meeting the OPUC scenario development guideline. As discussed in the
preceding section, the Company’s CO2 prices are indicative of varying levels of CO2 prices
signals that might arise from a wide range of future policy outcomes at the federal level.
Moreover, the System Optimizer model runs using the above CO2 assumptions yielded varied
composition of portfolios, with some portfolios showing nearly all of PacifiCorp’s coal units
shutting down or converting to natural gas within the 20-year planning horizon.
61 Energy Information Administration / Emissions of Greenhouse Gases in the United States 2005, November 2006.
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 7 – MODELING APPROACH
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Phase (1) Case Definition
The first phase of the IRP modeling process was to define the cases (input scenarios) that the
System Optimizer model uses to derive optimal resource expansion plans. The cases consist of
variations to inputs representing the predominant sources of portfolio cost variability and
uncertainty. PacifiCorp generally specified low, medium, and high values for key assumptions to
ensure that a reasonably wide range in potential outcomes is captured. For the 2013 IRP,
PacifiCorp worked closely with stakeholders to develop 19 core case definitions applied
uniformly across five different Energy Gateway scenarios with an additional 12 sensitivity cases
that in total sum to 106 different resource portfolios. Each of the five Energy Gateway scenarios
were defined to explore how different combinations of Energy Gateway segments influence
resource selection and system costs.
Core cases focus on broad comparability of portfolio performance results for five key variables.
These variables include (1) timing of and level of CO2 prices, (2) natural gas and wholesale
electricity prices, (3) policy assumptions pertaining to federal tax incentives and RPS
requirements, (4) policy assumptions pertaining to coal unit compliance requirements driven by
Regional Haze regulations, and (5) acquisition ramp rates for Class 2 DSM energy efficiency
resources.
In contrast, sensitivity cases focus on changes to resource-specific assumptions and alternative
load growth forecasts. The resulting portfolios from the sensitivity cases are typically compared
to one of the core case portfolios. PacifiCorp developed 12 sensitivity cases reflecting
alternative assumptions for load forecasts, availability of renewable resource federal tax
incentives, renewable portfolio standard modeling, Class 3 DSM resource availability, and coal
unit environmental investments.
In developing these cases, PacifiCorp worked collaboratively with stakeholders to develop case
definitions meeting the following objectives: (1) case definitions expected to yield resource
diversity and comparative consistency among cases, (2) portfolio development structure that
isolates the how individual Energy Gateway segments affect resource selection, (3) provides for
an understanding of how RPS requirements affect renewable resource needs, and (4) is
responsive to stakeholder requests targeting specific resource technologies.
With these objectives in mind, the Company initiated the portfolio case development process and
sample case definitions at the June 20, 2012 public input meeting. In response to stakeholder
comments, the Company produced draft core case definitions at the July 13, 2012 public
meeting. Additional stakeholder comments were reviewed and significantly influenced updated
draft core case definitions reviewed with stakeholders at the September 14, 2012 meeting.
Detailed “fact sheets”, describing high level assumptions for each core case in a consistent
format, was shared with stakeholders at the October 24, 2012 meeting and updated at the
December 18, 2012 meeting. Sensitivity case fact sheets were shared with stakeholders at the
February 27, 2013 public meeting.
Case Specifications
Table 7.5 defines the five Energy Gateway scenarios, and Figure 7.4 shows the generation
location of specific Energy Gateway Segments.
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 7 – MODELING APPROACH
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Table 7.5 – Energy Gateway Scenario Definitions
Scenario Segments Description
EG1 C and G Reference – Mona-Oquirrh-
Terminal, Sigurd-Red Butte
EG2 C, D, and G System Improvement – 2013
Business Plan
EG3 C, D, E, G, and H
West/East Consolidation –
Increase interchange between PACE
and PACW
EG4 C, D, G, and F Triangle – East side wind and
improved reliability
EG5 C, D, E, G, H, and F Full Gateway – All Energy
Gateway segments
Figure 7.4 – Future Energy Gateway Transmission Expansion Plan
This map is for general reference only and reflects current plans.
It may not reflect the final routes, construction sequence or exact line configuration.
Portfolio development cases developed for the 2013 IRP were categorized into four different
themes, each described in turn below:
(5) Reference: There are three different core cases developed for the Reference Theme.
Each case relied upon base case assumptions for market prices, environmental policy
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 7 – MODELING APPROACH
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inputs, energy efficiency assumptions, and load projections. RPS assumptions
differentiate the three cases in the Reference Theme, with one case assuming no state
or federal RPS requirements, one case assuming only state RPS requirements, and
one case assuming both state and federal RPS requirements must be met.
(6) Environmental Policy: There are 11 different core cases and two types of sensitivity
cases developed for the Environmental Policy Theme. Five of the 11 core cases
reflect base case assumptions for Regional Haze requirements on existing coal units,
and six of the 11 cases assume more stringent Regional Haze requirements.
Differentiating the sets of cases with different Regional Haze compliance
requirements are varying assumptions for market prices (low, medium, and high),
CO2 prices (zero, medium, and high), RPS requirements (with and without state and
federal RPS), and energy efficiency. The two types of sensitivity cases developed for
the Environmental Policy Theme describe additional analysis performed to evaluate
near-term coal unit environmental investments that are summarized in Confidential
Volume III.
(7) Targeted Resources: There are four different core cases and five different sensitivity
cases developed for the Targeted Resource Theme. Each of the cases is characterized
by alternative assumptions for specific resource types to understand how these
assumptions influence resource portfolios, costs, and risk. One of the four core cases
prevents combined cycle resources from being added to the resource portfolio and
assumes energy efficiency resources can be acquired at an accelerated rate. The
second of the four core cases in this theme assumes that geothermal power purchase
agreement resources will be used to meet RPS requirements. The third of four core
cases in this theme assumes a spike in power prices over the period 2017 through
2022 and assumes natural gas prices will rise above base case levels over the entirety
of the planning horizon. The fourth core case in this theme targets clean energy
resources and assumes CO2 prices rise consistent with a federal hard cap scenario,
that natural gas prices rise above those assumed in the base case, that federal tax
incentives for renewable resources are extended through 2019, and that energy
efficiency resources can be acquired at an accelerated rate.
(8) Transmission: The Transmission Theme included one core case, which assumes that
third party transmission can be purchased from a newly built line as an alternative to
the Company’s Gateway Segment D project. This case was only analyzed in four of
the five Energy Gateway scenarios that include the Gateway Segment D project.
Tables 7.6 and 7.7 provide the definitions of the core cases and sensitivity cases. In addition,
detailed descriptions of all cases are provided in case fact sheets that are available in Volume II,
Appendix M of this report.
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 7 – MODELING APPROACH
174
Table 7.6 – Core Case Definitions
Theme Case Gas Price CO2 Price Coal Price RPS Class 2 DSM Other
Reference C01 Medium Medium Medium None Base n/a
C02 Medium Medium Medium State Base n/a
C03 Medium Medium Medium State & Federal Base n/a
Environmental C04 Low High High None Base n/a
Policy C05 Low High High State & Federal Base n/a
C06 High Zero Low None Base n/a
C07 High Zero Low State & Federal Base n/a
C08 Low High High None Base n/a
C09 Low High High State & Federal Base n/a
C10 Medium Medium Medium None Base n/a
C11 Medium Medium Medium State & Federal Base n/a
C12 High Zero Low None Base n/a
C13 High Zero Low State & Federal Base n/a
C14 Medium
Hard Cap
(Medium Gas) Medium State & Federal Accelerated n/a
Targeted C15 Medium Medium Medium State & Federal Accelerated No CCCT
Resources C16 Medium Medium Medium State & Federal Base Geothermal/RPS
C17 High Medium Medium State & Federal Base Market Spike
C18 Medium
Hard Cap (High
Gas) Medium None Accelerated Clean Energy
Transmission C19 Medium Medium Medium State & Federal Base Alt. to Segment D
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 7 – MODELING APPROACH
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Table 7.7 – Sensitivity Case Definitions
Theme Case # Load Gas Price CO2 Price RPS PTC/ITC Coal
Investments
Load Sensitivity S-01 Low Medium Medium
State & Federal
(RPS Floor) 2012/2016 Optimized
S-02 High Medium Medium
State & Federal
(RPS Floor) 2012/2016 Optimized
S-03 1 in 20 Medium Medium
State & Federal
(RPS Floor) 2012/2016 Optimized
Targeted S-05 Base Medium Medium None 2019/2019 Optimized
Resource S-06 Base Medium Medium
State & Federal
(RPS Floor) 2019/2019 Optimized
S-07 Base Medium Medium
State & Federal
(Optimized) 2012/2016 Optimized
S-09 Base High High
State & Federal
(RPS Floor) 2019/2019 Optimized
S-10 Base Medium Medium
State & Federal
(RPS Floor) 2012/2016 Optimized
Environmental
Policy
S-04
(Volume III) Base Medium Medium
State & Federal
(RPS Floor) 2012/2016
Hypothetical
Regional Haze
S-X
(Volume III) Base Medium Medium
State & Federal
(RPS Floor) 2012/2016
Next Best
Alternative
Notes
1. All sensitivity cases are based on Energy Gateway Scenario 2, consistent with the scenario in the 2013 IRP preferred portfolio.
2. Sensitivity Case S-07 applies state RPS targets as system targets in the System Optimizer model. All other sensitivities either use the RPS Scenario
Maker to establish a renewable resource floor or exclude RPS requirements altogether.
3. Case S-08 (simulating PacifiCorp’s 2013 Business Plan portfolio in the current input setup) was removed due to incompatibilities in how Class 2 DSM
resources are modeled in the 2013 IRP.
4. Sensitivity cases S-04 (Hypothetical Regional Haze Compliance Alternative) and S-X (Emission Control PVRR(d) Analysis) are confidential and
summarized in confidential Volume III of the 2013 IRP report.
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 7 – MODELING APPROACH
176
Phase (2) Scenario Price Forecast Development
On a central tendency basis, commodity markets tend to respond to the evolution of supply and
demand fundamentals over time. Due to a complex web of cross-commodity interactions, price
movements in response to supply and demand fundamentals for one commodity can have
implications for the supply and demand dynamics and price of other commodities. This
interaction routinely occurs in markets common to the electric sector as evidenced by a strong
positive correlation between natural gas prices and electricity prices.
Some relationships among commodity prices have a long historical record that have been studied
extensively, and consequently, are often forecasted to persist with reasonable confidence.
However, robust forecasting techniques are required to capture the effects of secondary or even
tertiary conditions that have historically supported such cross-commodity relationships. For
example, the strong correlation between natural gas prices and electricity prices is intrinsically
tied to the increased use of natural gas-fired capacity to produce electricity. If for some reason
natural gas-fired capacity diminishes in favor of an alternative technology, the linkage between
gas prices and electricity prices would almost certainly weaken.
PacifiCorp deploys a variety of forecasting tools and methods to capture cross-commodity
interactions when projecting prices for those markets most critical to this IRP – natural gas
prices, electricity prices, and emission prices. Figure 7.5 depicts a simplified representation of
the framework used by PacifiCorp to develop the price forecasts for these different commodities.
At the highest level, the commodity price forecast approach begins at a global scale with an
assessment of natural gas market fundamentals. This global assessment of the natural gas market
yields a price forecast that feeds into a national model where the influence of emission and
renewable energy policies is captured. Finally, outcomes from the national model feed into a
regional model where delivered gas prices and emission prices drive a forecast of wholesale
electricity prices. In this fashion, the Company is able to produce an internally consistent set of
price forecasts across a range of potential future outcomes at the pricing points that interface
with PacifiCorp’s system.
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 7 – MODELING APPROACH
177
Figure 7.5 – Modeling Framework for Commodity Price Forecasts
The process begins with an assessment of global gas market fundamentals and an associated
forecast of North American natural gas prices. In this step, PacifiCorp relies upon a number of
expert third-party proprietary data and forecasting services to establish a range of gas price
scenarios. Each price scenario reflects a specific view of how the North American natural gas
market will balance supply and demand.
Once a natural gas price forecast is established, the Integrated Planning Model (IPM®) is used to
simulate the entire North American power system. IPM®, a linear program, determines the least
cost means of meeting electric energy and capacity requirements over time, and in its quest to
lower costs, ensures that all assumed emission policies and RPS policies are met. Concurrently,
IPM® can be configured with a dynamic natural gas price supply curve that allows natural gas
prices to respond to changes in demand triggered by environmental compliance. Additional
outputs from IPM® include a forecast of resource additions consistent with all specified RPS
Na
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MIDAS ● Wholesale electricity prices
Planning and Risk
(PaR)
System Optimizer
Integrated Planning
Model (IPM®)
● Gas price response to
environmental policy
● Emission prices
Third-party
Proprietary Data
Services
● Natural gas market
fundamentals and price
scenarios
● Unadjusted natural
gas prices
● Delivered gas prices
● Wholesale electricity prices
● Emission prices
● Emission policy
● RPS targets ● RPS resource additions
● Regional gas prices
● Emission prices
● RPS resource
additions
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 7 – MODELING APPROACH
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targets, electric energy and capacity prices, coal prices62, electric sector fuel consumption, and
emission prices for policies that limit emissions or emission rates.63
Once emission prices and the associated gas price response are forecasted with IPM®, results are
used in a regional model, Multi Objective Integrated Decision Analysis System (MIDAS), to
produce an accompanying wholesale electricity price forecast. MIDAS is an hourly
chronological dispatch model configured to simulate the Western Interconnection and offers a
more refined representation of western wholesale electricity markets than is possible with IPM®.
Consequently, PacifiCorp produces a more granular price projection that covers all of the
markets required for the system models used in the IRP. The natural gas and wholesale
electricity price forecasts developed under this framework and used in the cases for this IRP are
summarized in the sections that follow.
Gas and Electricity Price Forecasts
PacifiCorp’s official forward price curve (OFPC) for natural gas prices is composed of market
forwards for the first 72 months, followed by 12 months of blended prices which transition into a
third-party fundamentals forecast, starting in month 85.
The first 72 months of the official forward price curve represents market forwards, the value that
market participants will buy and sell today for a commodity that delivers sometime in the
future. There is a constant consideration for what happens between today and the time of
delivery and all days in between as demonstrated by dynamic (constant) changes in bids and
offers. A forward curve is not a forecast; it is simply a representation of where one believes they
can transact today for forward settlements/deliveries.
In contrast to market forwards, starting in month 85, PacifiCorp’s OFPC is based on a third-party
fundamentals forecast. This forecast is a single description of what one expects the value a
commodity to be at the time it is delivered and consumed. A forecast contains no consideration
for what happens between today and the forecast’s scope of time.
The underlying base natural gas price forecasts used in this IRP are significantly lower than
those produced for the Company’s 2011 IRP and the subsequent 2011 IRP Update filed with
state commissions March 2011 and March 2012, respectively. Figures 7.6, 7.7, and 7.8 compare
base natural gas (Henry Hub) and electricity (Palo Verde and Mid C) price forecasts for the 2013
IRP, 2011 IRP Update, and 2011 IRP.
62 IPM® contains over 75 coal supply curves, with reserve estimates, by rank and quality. Coal supply curves are
matched to coal demand areas, including transportation costs, and optimized. As such, IPM® is able to capture coal
price response from incremental (decremental) demand, which ultimately affects the natural gas and emission prices
that feed into System Optimizer and Planning and Risk. 63 Emission modeling capabilities of IPM® were also used in this IRP to develop CO2 prices for the two U.S. Hard
Cap CO2 price scenarios.
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 7 – MODELING APPROACH
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Figure 7.6 – Comparison of Base Henry Hub Gas Price Forecasts used for Recent IRPs
Figure 7.7 –Palo Verde Electricity Price Forecasts used in Recent IRPs
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PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 7 – MODELING APPROACH
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Figure 7.8 – Mid Columbia Electricity Price Forecasts used in Recent IRPs
Five natural gas price forecasts were used to derive the gas price projections for the 19 core cases
analyzed in this IRP. A range of fundamental assumptions affecting how the North American
market will balance supply and demand defines the underlying price forecasts.
The hard cap studies were developed June 2012. The supporting expert third-party high natural
gas price scenario was issued May 2012 while the base price forecast reflects PacifiCorp’s June
29, 2012 OFPC. The OFPC is composed of market forwards for the first 72 months, followed by
12 months of blended prices which transition into an expert third-party fundamentals forecast,
starting in month 85.
The CO2 tax studies were developed September 2012. The supporting expert third-party high and
low natural gas price scenarios were issued August 2012 while the base price forecast reflects
PacifiCorp’s September 2012 OFPC. Again, the OFPC is composed of market forwards for the
first 72 months, followed by 12 months of blended prices which transition into an expert third-
party fundamentals forecast, starting in month 85.
Table 7.8 shows prices at the Henry Hub benchmark for the five underlying natural gas price
forecasts. The forecasts serve as a point of reference and are adjusted to account for changes in
natural gas demand driven by a range of environmental policy and technology assumptions
specific to each IRP case. Figure 7.9 compares the five underlying Henry Hub price forecasts
used in the 2013 IRP.
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PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 7 – MODELING APPROACH
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Table 7.8 – Underlying Henry Hub Natural Gas Price Forecast Summary (Nominal
$/MMBtu)
High (Tax Scenario) $4.68 $4.94 $8.07 $10.40 $12.49
Base (Tax Scenario) $3.84 $4.37 $6.43 $7.59 $8.84
Low (Tax Scenario) $2.58 $3.21 $3.83 $4.59 $5.68
High (Hard Cap Scenario) $4.24 $5.01 $8.61 $11.35 $13.63
Base (Hard Cap Scenario) $3.58 $4.13 $6.43 $7.59 $8.84
Figure 7.9 – Underlying Henry Hub Natural Gas Price Forecast Summary (Nominal
$/MMBtu)
Price Projections Tied to the High Forecast
The driving assumption of the underlying high-price scenario is that of high oil prices. Outside
of power generation, which was quick to respond to lower gas prices in 2012, the bulk of new
demands will come later in the decade as liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facilities come
online. Currently, the Cheniere Sabin Pass LNG export terminal is expected to be online in 2015
with other export terminals awaiting approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
(FERC). Asian buyers are particularly attracted to Gulf Coast and East Coast export facilities
since the LNG is more likely to be indexed to the price of Henry Hub (versus oil). Increased
industrial demands are also expected to materialize later in the decade from the petrochemical,
fertilizer, steel, and transportation sectors. Volumes expected to move into the transportation
sector are particularly significant and will exert upward price pressure in the early 2020’s.
Moreover, the underlying high price scenarios assume that global shale development will be
lagging. The lagging of global shale development helps keep natural gas pegged to oil prices
(abroad) which, in turn, provides support to the US LNG export industry. Figure 7.10
summarizes prices at the Henry Hub benchmark and Figure 7.11 summarizes the accompanying
electricity prices for the forecasts developed around the high gas price projection.
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PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 7 – MODELING APPROACH
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Figure 7.10 – Henry Hub Natural Gas Prices Derived from the High Underlying Forecast
Figure 7.11 – Western Electricity Prices from the High Underlying Gas Price Forecast
Price Projections Tied to the Medium Forecast
The underlying September 2012 medium gas price forecast is also PacifiCorp’s OFPC and, as
such, is composed of market forwards for the first 72 months, followed by 12 months of blended
prices which transition into an expert third-party fundamentals forecast, starting in month 85.
The expert third-party fundamentals forecast component was issued May 2012. The market
portion of the forecast is based upon forwards as of market close September 28, 2012.
The medium gas scenario reflects a strong, but tempered, long-term demand for natural gas
partially offset by increasing supply volumes resulting from new shale plays, increased well
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PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 7 – MODELING APPROACH
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productivity, and rig efficiencies. While associated gas, from wet plays, has filled a large part of
the void left by re-directed dry gas drilling, volumes are beginning to decline. To incent new dry
gas drilling, prices will need to rise.
On the demand side, increased industrial loads are expected to materialize later in the decade
from the petrochemical, fertilizer, steel, and transportation sectors. Like the high case, long-term
demand increases are expected from the LNG export and transportation sectors however at a
slower pace due to the lengthy approval process. Environmental restrictions on shale plays are
expected to increase costs but not to the point of disrupting or adversely impacting supply. In
short, the medium scenario assumes the continuance of prolific liquids plays producing
significant amounts of price insensitive associated gas. However, going forward, quantities of
associated gas cannot fully compensate for the lack of dry gas production. Thus, upward price
pressure is forthcoming as decreased associated gas supply, coupled with increasing demands
from the industrial, export, and transportation sectors, take hold later this decade. Figure 7.12
shows Henry Hub benchmark prices and Figure 7.13 includes the accompanying electricity
prices for the forecasts developed around the medium gas price projection.
Figure 7.12– Henry Hub Natural Gas Prices Derived from the Medium Underlying
Forecast
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Hard Cap: Case 14 Cases 1-3,10,11,15,16,19
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 7 – MODELING APPROACH
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Figure 7.13 – Western Electricity Prices from the Medium Underlying Gas Price Forecast
Price Projections Tied to the Low Forecast
The low price is driven by excess gas supply and dampened demand (arising from moderated oil
prices). On the supply side, increasing well productivity, technological innovations, and large
volumes of price-insensitive associated gas create a flattened supply curve. Third party providers
have reduced low price projections as base case forecasts have fallen to reflect continued
improvements in well productivity and the large amount of price insensitive dry gas being
produced as a byproduct in wet gas and shale oil plays. Even today, one-third of associated dry
gas is being flared in the Bakken oil shale fields.
Under the low price assumptions, demand is tempered by limited natural gas use in both the
transportation and LNG export sectors; no LNG export growth is assumed post 2020. Under this
scenario, there is little incentive to invest in LNG export facilities or in gas-for-oil substitution in
the transportation sector due to moderated oil prices. Moderate oil prices are attributed to the
surge of U.S. shale liquids coming online. This is in keeping with expectations from both Exxon
Mobile and the Energy Information Administration (EIA). Exxon Mobile’s latest outlook
expects the U.S. to be a net energy exporter by 2025 while the EIA expects U.S. gas production
to outpace demand by 202064. By 2030, the low price scenario assumes that over 19 million
barrels per day (MMB/D) will be forthcoming from U. S. shale liquids, more than double that
assumed in the high price scenario. Figure 7.14 shows Henry Hub benchmark prices and Figure
7.15 includes the accompanying electricity prices for cases built on the low price forecast in the
2013 IRP.65
64 Wall Street Journal, Exxon Find: America as Net Energy Exporter, December 11, 2012, page B1. 65 All case definitions that assume low natural gas prices also assume high CO2 price assumptions.
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PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 7 – MODELING APPROACH
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Figure 7.14– Henry Hub Natural Gas Prices from the Low Underlying Forecast
Figure 7.15 – Western Electricity Prices Derived from the Low Underlying Gas Price
Forecast
Phase (3) Optimized Portfolio Development: No RPS Cases
For Phase 3 of the IRP modeling, System Optimizer is executed for each set of cases that
exclude RPS requirements. These cases are completed for each of the five Energy Gateway
scenarios, generating an optimized investment plan and associated real levelized PVRR for 2013
through 2032. System Optimizer simulations were first completed for these cases to identify
potential renewable resources that are cost effective on a system basis. Cost effective renewable
resource selections are then used to inform the next two phases of the IRP modeling process, as
discussed in more detail in the following sections of this chapter.
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Phase (4) Establishing a Renewable Resource Floor
For case definitions that include RPS assumptions, a minimum level of new renewable resources
are needed to ensure that compliance can be achieved with specific state and/or assumed federal
RPS requirements. This is achieved using an RPS compliance tool called the RPS Scenario
Maker model. The RPS Scenario Maker model was introduced to the 2013 IRP modeling
process in response to changing policy and market drivers that have effectively lowered the cost
effectiveness of new renewable resource alternatives. These policy and market drivers are
summarized below:
Policy makers continue to debate Federal budget deficits, and deep philosophical
differences have thus far proven to be a barrier to budgetary compromise making the
long-term outlook for federal tax incentives that have traditionally benefited new
renewable resources uncertain. Absent tax incentives, the cost for renewable resources
per unit of energy output increases.
Policy makers have not succeeded in passing federal greenhouse gas legislation for
consideration by the President. While the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) has proposed new source performance standards to regulate greenhouse gas
emissions from new sources, it has not established a definitive schedule to propose
rules applicable to existing sources. With continued uncertainty in federal greenhouse
gas policy, the advantages of zero emission generation resources are diminished as
compared to other resource alternatives.
Over the past two years, reduced regional loads and low natural gas prices have
contributed to reduced wholesale power prices. Reduced wholesale power prices
lowers the energy value of generation from new renewable resources.
Given the drivers outlined above, the economic benefits of new renewable resources have
deteriorated since the 2011 IRP was produced. In response, case definitions for the 2013 IRP
were strategically designed to include cases that assume there are no RPS requirements to clearly
identify whether new renewable resources are cost effective system resources or whether new
renewable resources are needed for the sole purpose of meeting RPS requirements. To ensure
that RPS compliance obligations are satisfied among those cases with RPS assumptions, the RPS
Scenario Maker model was used to develop a renewable resource floor.
The RPS Scenario Maker model uses retail sales forecast inputs, state-specific targets, state-
specific banked renewable energy credit (REC) balances, forecasted generation from existing
RPS-eligible renewable resources, and cost and performance assumptions for potential new
resources to optimize the type, timing, and location of additional renewable resources needed to
meet future RPS compliance obligations. The RPS Scenario Maker model considers compliance
flexibility mechanisms specific to any give RPS program including unbundled REC rules and
banking rules that cannot be configured in the System Optimizer model to establish a least cost
renewable resource mix that meets RPS requirements.
There are two steps in establishing the least cost RPS resource portfolio for each case that
includes RPS assumptions. First, any renewable resources selected by the System Optimizer
model among those cases that do not assume RPS requirements are automatically included in the
RPS renewable resource portfolio for the accompanying case that does include RPS assumptions.
These resources are treated as system resources for purposes of meeting state or assumed federal
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 7 – MODELING APPROACH
187
RPS requirements, whereby each state is assumed to receive their proportionate share of energy
that can be used for state-specific RPS compliance obligations. Second, the RPS Scenario
Maker tool, configured with constraints to meet RPS targets and to accommodate state-specific
RPS banking provisions, is used to provide an optimized low cost renewable resource portfolio
that achieves any remaining state or federal RPS compliance shortfall with situs assigned
renewable generation.66
Phase (5) Optimized Portfolio Development: RPS Cases
For Phase 5 of the IRP modeling, System Optimizer is executed for each set of cases that assume
RPS requirements must be achieved. Each of these cases is completed for each of the five
Energy Gateway scenarios, generating an optimized investment plan and associated real
levelized PVRR for 2013 through 2032. The System Optimizer modeling process used in this
phase of IRP modeling is identical to the System Optimizer modeling performed in Phase 3
(cases that exclude RPS assumptions) with the exception that a renewable resource floor that
meets RPS compliance obligations is forced into the resource portfolio. Forcing the renewable
resource floor into the System Optimizer resource expansion plan does not preclude the selection
of additional renewable resources above and beyond the minimum threshold that is required to
achieve RPS compliance.
Phase (6) Monte Carlo Production Cost Simulation
Phase 6 of the IRP modeling entails simulation of each optimized portfolio from Phases 3 and 5
using the PaR model in stochastic mode. The stochastic simulation produces a dispatch solution
that accounts for chronological commitment and dispatch constraints. Three stochastic
simulations were executed for three CO2 tax levels: zero, medium (starting at $16/ton in 2022
and escalating to approximately $26/ton in 2032), and high (starting at approximately $14/ton
and escalating to approximately $75/ton by 2032). All simulations used medium natural gas and
wholesale power prices from the September 2012 OFPC as the expected gas and electricity price
forecast values.
The PaR simulation incorporates stochastic risk in its production cost estimates by using the
Monte Carlo random sampling of five stochastic variables: loads, commodity natural gas prices,
wholesale power prices, hydro energy availability, and thermal unit availability for new
resources. Availability of wind generation is not modeled with stochastic parameters in the PaR
model; however, the incremental reserve requirements associated with uncertainty and variability
in wind generation are captured in the stochastic simulation. PacifiCorp’s wind integration study
is included in Appendix H in Volume II of this report.
For stochastic analysis, PacifiCorp completed simulation of 37 portfolios produced by 18 core
cases under Energy Gateway Scenario 1 and 19 core cases produced under Energy Gateway
Scenario 2 using the PaR production cost model among three CO2 price levels to yield 111
portfolio risk studies. The sensitivity cases developed for the 2013 IRP are informative in
reporting the impact of isolated changes of inputs on the portfolio selection itself, and therefore,
these cases were not studied in the PaR model.
66 Given the relatively small size of the California RPS compliance need and no restrictions that limit the use of
unbundled RECs, it is assumed that California RPS compliance obligations are met with unbundled REC purchases.
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 7 – MODELING APPROACH
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The Stochastic Model
The stochastic model used in the PaR model is a two-factor (short-run and long-run) short-run
mean reverting model. Variable processes assume normality or log-normality as appropriate.
Since prices and loads are bounded on the low side by zero they tend to take on a lognormal
shape. Thus, prices, especially, are described as having a lognormal distribution (i.e. having a
positively skewed distribution while their loge has more of a normal distribution). Load growth is
inherently more bounded on the upside than prices, and can therefore be modeled as having a
normal or lognormal distribution. As such, prices and loads were treated as having a lognormal
and normal distribution, respectively.
Separate volatility and correlation parameters are used for modeling the short-run and long-run
factors. The short-run process defines seasonal effects on forward variables, while the long-run
factor defines random structural effects on electricity and natural gas markets and retail load
regions. The short-run process is designed to capture the seasonal patterns inherent in electricity
and natural gas markets and seasonal pressures on electricity demand.
Mean reversion represents the speed at which a disturbed variable will return to its seasonal
expectation. With respect to market prices, the long-run factor should be understood as an
expected equilibrium, with the Monte Carlo draws defining a possible forward equilibrium state.
In the case of regional electricity loads, the Monte Carlo draws define possible forward paths for
electricity demand.
Stochastic Model Parameter Estimation
Stochastic model parameters are developed with econometric modeling techniques. The short-
run seasonal stochastic parameters are developed using a single period auto-regressive regression
equation (commonly called an AR(1) process). The standard error of the seasonal regression
defines the short run volatility, while the regression coefficient for the AR(1) variable defines the
mean reversion parameter. Loads and commodity prices are mean-reverting in the short term.
For instance, natural gas prices are expected to “hover” around a moving average within a given
month and loads are expected to hover near seasonal norms. These built-in responses are the
essence of mean reversion. The mean reversion rate tells how fast a forecast will revert to its
expected mean following a shock. The short-run regression errors are correlated seasonally to
capture inter-variable effects from informational exchanges between markets, inter-regional
impacts from shocks to electricity demand and deviations from expected hydroelectric
generation performance. Consistent with the last IRP, PacifiCorp did not apply the long run load
volatility parameter in this IRP.
Long-term volatility of natural gas and electricity prices is estimated using the standard error of a
random walk regression of historic price data, by market. The resulting parameters are then used
in the PaR model to develop alternative price scenarios around the Company’s official forward
price curves, by market, over the twenty-year IRP study period. The long-run regression errors
are correlated to capture inter-variable effects from changes to expected market equilibrium for
natural gas and electricity markets, as well as the impacts from changes in expected regional
electricity loads.
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PacifiCorp’s econometric analysis was performed for the following stochastic variables:
Fuel prices (natural gas prices for the Company’s western and eastern control areas)
Electricity market prices for Mid-Columbia (Mid C), California – Oregon Border (COB)
Four Corners, and Palo Verde (PV)
Electric transmission area loads (California, Idaho, Oregon, Utah, Washington and
Wyoming regions)
Hydroelectric generation
Table 7.9 summarizes the 2013 IRP short-term load parameters, which were adopted from the
2008 IRP, as compared to the parameters used in the 2011 IRP. The 2008 IRP parameters were
adopted having observed unreasonably large swings in loads using the 2011 IRP data. The
Company anticipates re-estimating its short-term load parameters for its 2015 IRP. Natural gas
and electricity price correlations by delivery point, as shown in Table 7.10, are the same as those
developed for the 2007 IRP.
Table 7.9 – Short Term Load Stochastic Parameter Comparison, 2013 IRP vs. 2011 IRP
0.041 0.026 0.051 0.041 0.025
0.051 0.028 0.038 0.032 0.022
0.054 0.045 0.053 0.038 0.019
0.046 0.036 0.040 0.043 0.019
0.045 0.028 0.044 0.043 0.021
0.038 0.037 0.043 0.044 0.017
0.040 0.040 0.051 0.041 0.017
0.040 0.036 0.046 0.042 0.019
0.27 0.23 0.24 0.26 0.13
0.05 0.09 0.19 0.16 0.10
0.08 0.14 0.23 0.28 0.08
0.23 0.17 0.20 0.18 0.10
0.19 0.10 0.18 0.16 0.07
0.02 0.16 0.24 0.21 0.10
0.02 0.10 0.24 0.20 0.07
0.03 0.08 0.11 0.11 0.05
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Table 7.10 Price Correlations
1.000 0.304 0.386 0.277 0.371 0.835
0.304 1.000 0.592 0.784 0.817 0.299
0.386 0.592 1.000 0.634 0.564 0.492
0.277 0.784 0.634 1.000 0.811 0.312
0.371 0.817 0.564 0.811 1.000 0.364
0.835 0.299 0.492 0.312 0.364 1.000
Nat Gas -
East
Four
Corners COB
Mid-
Columbia
Palo
Verde
Nat Gas -
West
1.000 0.085 0.034 (0.131) 0.105 0.281
0.085 1.000 0.559 0.459 0.787 0.025
0.034 0.559 1.000 0.770 0.468 0.067
(0.131) 0.459 0.770 1.000 0.540 (0.059)
0.105 0.787 0.468 0.540 1.000 (0.035)
0.281 0.025 0.067 (0.059) (0.035) 1.000
1.000 0.115 0.074 0.002 0.101 0.908
0.115 1.000 0.705 0.699 0.917 0.132
0.074 0.705 1.000 0.809 0.734 0.117
0.002 0.699 0.809 1.000 0.696 0.013
0.101 0.917 0.734 0.696 1.000 0.126
0.908 0.132 0.117 0.013 0.126 1.000
1.000 0.156 0.233 0.142 0.182 0.795
0.156 1.000 0.458 0.719 0.921 0.244
0.233 0.458 1.000 0.446 0.467 0.299
0.142 0.719 0.446 1.000 0.740 0.160
0.182 0.921 0.467 0.740 1.000 0.281
0.795 0.244 0.299 0.160 0.281 1.000
Table 7.11 lists short term volatility and mean reversion parameters for hydro generation that
were re-estimated for the 2013 IRP based on updated historical hydro generation data, which
covered calendar years 2003 through 2012.
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Table 7.11 - Hydro Short Term Stochastic Parameter Comparison, 2011 IRP vs. 2013 IRP
0.130 0.100
0.0826 0.2901
0.0739 0.2072
0.0744 0.2263
0.0901 0.2931
For outage modeling, PacifiCorp relies on the PaR model’s Monte Carlo simulation method to
create a distributed outage pattern for thermal resources. PacifiCorp does not estimate stochastic
parameters for plant outages. Due to the true randomness of forced outages the Monte Carlo is
the preferred mode of operation for obtaining results of multi-iteration Monte Carlo quality.
While average historical and/or technology-specific outage rates are specified by the user the
timing and duration of outages is random.
Monte Carlo Simulation
During model execution, the PaR model makes time-path-dependent Monte Carlo draws for each
stochastic variable based on the input parameters. The Monte Carlo draws are of percentage
deviations from the expected forward value of the variables, and are the same for each Monte
Carlo simulation. In the case of natural gas prices, electricity prices, and regional loads, the PaR
model applies Monte Carlo draws on a daily basis. In the case of hydroelectric generation,
Monte Carlo draws are applied on a weekly basis.
The PaR model is configured to conduct 100 Monte Carlo iterations for the 20-year study period.
For each of the 100 Monte Carlo iterations, the PaR model generates a set of natural gas prices,
electricity prices, loads, hydroelectric generation and thermal outages. Then, the model optimizes
the dispatch of resources to minimize costs to serve load and wholesale sales obligations subject
to operating and physical constraints, one of which is a fixed capacity expansion plan. The end
result of the Monte Carlo simulation is 100 production cost iterations reflecting a wide range of
portfolio cost outcomes.
For the 37 portfolios produced by the core case assumptions analyzed in Planning and Risk, the
stochastic simulation utilizes medium electricity and natural gas price forecasts, regardless of the
inputs used in the System Optimizer model to produce a given portfolio. Figures 7.16 through
7.19 show the 100-iteration frequencies for market prices resulting from the Monte Carlo draws
for two representative years, 2013 and 2022, and by the east and west side of PacifiCorp’s
system. Figures 7.20 through 7.25 show annual loads by load areas and the system for the first,
10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th, and 99th percentiles. Figure 7.26 shows the 25th, 50th, and 75th
percentiles for hydroelectric generation.
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 7 – MODELING APPROACH
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Figure 7.16 – Frequency of Western (Mid-Columbia) Electricity Market Prices for 2013
and 2022
Figure 7.17 – Frequency of Eastern (Palo Verde) Electricity Market Prices, 2013 and 2022
Figure 7.18 – Frequency of Western Natural Gas Market Prices, 2013 and 2022
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 7 – MODELING APPROACH
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Figure 7.19 – Frequency of Eastern Natural Gas Market Prices, 2013 and 2022
Figure 7.20 – Frequencies for Idaho (Goshen) Loads
Note: the drop in Idaho (Goshen) load from 2015 to 2017 is due to the expiration of a wholesale contract, under
which PacifiCorp serves the retail load of the third party.
Figure 7.21 – Frequencies for Utah Loads
1,000
1,500
2,000
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99th 90th 75th mean 25th 10th 1st
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Figure 7.22 – Frequencies for Washington Loads
Figure 7.23 – Frequencies for California and Oregon Loads
Figure 7.24 – Frequencies for Wyoming Loads
4,000
4,500
5,000
5,500
6,000
6,500
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h
99th 90th 75th mean 25th 10th 1st
25,000
30,000
35,000
40,000
45,000
GW
h
99th 90th 75th mean 25th 10th 1st
6,000
6,500
7,000
7,500
8,000
8,500
9,000
9,500
10,000
10,500
11,000
GW
h
99th 90th 75th mean 25th 10th 1st
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 7 – MODELING APPROACH
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Figure 7.25 – Frequencies for System Loads
Figure 7.26 – Hydroelectric Generation Frequency, 2013 and 2022
The expected values of the Monte Carlo simulation are the average results of all 100 iterations.
Results from subsets of the 100 iterations are also summarized to signify particularly adverse
cost conditions, and to derive associated cost measures as indicators of high-end portfolio risk.
These cost measures, and others are used to assess portfolio performance, and are described in
the next section.
Stochastic Portfolio Performance Measures
Stochastic simulation results for the optimized portfolios are summarized and compared to
determine which portfolios perform best according to a set of performance measures. These
measures, grouped by category, include the following:
Cost
● Stochastic mean PVRR (Present Value of Revenue Requirement)
● Risk-adjusted mean PVRR
● 20-year customer rate impact
55,000
60,000
65,000
70,000
75,000
80,000
85,000
GW
h
99th 90th 75th mean 25th 10th 1st
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Risk
● Upper-tail Mean PVRR less stochastic mean PVRR
● 5th and 95th Percentile PVRR
Supply Reliability
● Average annual Energy Not Served (ENS)
● Upper-tail ENS
In addition to these stochastic measures, PacifiCorp also considers resource diversity and the
CO2 emissions when comparing portfolios.
The following sections describe in detail each of these performance measures as well as the fuel
source diversity statistics.
Stochastic Mean PVRR
The stochastic mean PVRR for each portfolio is the average of the portfolio’s net variable
operating costs for 100 iterations of the PaR model in stochastic mode, combined with the real
levelized capital costs and fixed costs determined by the System Optimizer model. The PVRR is
reported in 2012 dollars.
The net variable cost from the stochastic simulations, expressed as a net present value, includes
system costs for fuel, variable plant O&M, unit start-up, market contracts, spot market purchases
and sales, and costs associated with making up for generation deficiencies, referred to as energy
not served. The capital additions for new resources (both generation and transmission) are
calculated on an escalated “real-levelized” basis to appropriately handle investment end effects.
Other components in the stochastic mean PVRR include renewable PTCs, where applicable, and
emission externality costs, such as costs associated with CO2 emissions.
The PVRR measure captures the total resource cost for each portfolio, including externality costs
in the form of CO2 costs. Total resource cost includes all the costs to the utility and customer for
the variable portion of total system operations, capital requirements and fixed costs as evaluated
in this IRP.
Risk-adjusted Mean PVRR
Unlike a simple mean PVRR, the risk-adjusted PVRR also incorporates the expected-value cost
of low-probability, expensive outcomes.67 This measure – risk-adjusted PVRR, for short – is
calculated as the stochastic mean PVRR plus five percent of the 95th percentile of the variable
production cost PVRR, excluding fixed costs. This metric expresses a low-probability portfolio
cost outcome as a risk premium applied to the expected (or mean) PVRR based on the 100
Monte Carlo simulations conducted for each production cost run.
The rationale behind the risk-adjusted PVRR is to have a consolidated stochastic cost indicator
for portfolio ranking, combining expected cost and high-end cost risk concepts without eliciting
and applying subjective weights that express the utility of trading one cost attribute for another.
67 Prices are assumed to take on a lognormal distribution for stochastic Monte Carlo sampling, since they are
bounded on the low side by zero and are theoretically unbounded on the up side, exhibiting a skewed distribution.
PACIFICORP – 2013 IRP CHAPTER 7 – MODELING APPROACH
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Ten-year Customer Rate Impact
To derive the rate impact measures, the Company computes the percentage revenue requirement
increase (annual and cumulative 10-year basis) attributable to the resource portfolio relative to a
baseline full revenue requirements forecast. The year-on-year percentage change in revenue
requirement is then calculated for each of the portfolios.
The IRP portfolio revenue requirement is based on the stochastic production cost results and
capital costs reported for the portfolio by the System Optimizer model on real levelized basis and
adjusted to nominal dollars based on the timing when new resources are selected and added to
the portfolio, including investment in transmission resources.
While this approach provides a reasonable representation of projected total system revenue
requirements for IRP portfolio comparison purposes, it is not intended as an accurate depiction
of such revenue requirements for rate-making purposes. For example, the IRP revenue impacts
assume immediate ratemaking treatment and make no distinction between current or proposed
multi-jurisdictional allocation methodologies.
Upper-Tail Mean PVRR
The upper-tail mean PVRR is a measure of high-end stochastic cost risk. This measure is derived
by identifying the Monte Carlo iterations with the five highest production costs on a net present
value basis. The portfolio’s real levelized fixed costs are added to these five production costs,
and the arithmetic average of the resulting PVRRs is computed.
95th and 5th Percentile PVRR
The 5th and 95th percentile stochastic PVRRs are also reported. These PVRR values correspond
to the iteration out of the 100 that represents the 5th and 95th percentiles on the basis PVRR of
production costs, respectively. These measures capture the extent of upper-tail (high cost) and
lower-tail (low cost) stochastic outcomes. As described above, the 95th percentile PVRR is used
to derive the high-end cost risk premium for the risk-adjusted PVRR measure. The 5th percentile
PVRR is for informational purposes.
Production Cost Standard Deviation
To capture production cost volatility risk, PacifiCorp uses the standard deviation of the
stochastic production cost for the 100 Monte Carlo simulation iterations. The production cost is
expressed as a net present value for the annual costs for 2013 through 2032. This measure is
included because Oregon IRP guidelines require a stochastic measure that addresses the
variability of costs in addition to one that measures the severity of bad outcomes.
Average and Upper-Tail Energy Not Served
Certain iterations of a stochastic simulation will have “energy not served” or ENS.68 Energy Not
Served is a condition where there are insufficient resources available to meet load because of
physical constraints or market conditions. This occurs when the iteration has one or more
stochastic variables with large random shocks that prevent the model from fully balancing the
system for the simulated hour, such as large load shocks and simultaneous unplanned plant
outages occur in the same iteration. Consequently, ENS, when averaged across all 100
iterations, serves as a measure of the stochastic reliability risk for a portfolio’s resources.
68 Also referred to as Expected Unserved Energy, or EUE.
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For reporting of the ENS statistics, PacifiCorp calculates an average annual value for 2013
through 2032 in gigawatt-hours, as well as the upper-tail ENS (average of the five iterations with
the highest ENS). Only the results using the medium CO2 tax scenario are reported, as the tax
level does not have a material influence on ENS amounts. In the current IRP, ENS is priced at
$1,000/MWh consistent with a FERC imposed price cap.
Loss of Load Probability (LOLP)
Loss of Load Probability is a term used to describe the probability that the combinations of
online and available energy resources cannot supply sufficient generation to serve the peak load
during a given interval of time.
For reporting LOLP, PacifiCorp calculates the probability of ENS events, where the magnitude
of the ENS exceeds given threshold levels. PacifiCorp is strongly interconnected with the
regional network; therefore, only events that occur at the time of the regional peak are the ones
likely to have significant consequences. Of those events, small shortfalls are likely to be resolved
with a quick (though expensive) purchase. In Appendix L in Volume II of this report, the
proportion of iterations with ENS events in July exceeding selected threshold levels are reported
for each optimized portfolio simulated with the PaR model. The LOLP is reported as a study
average as well as year-by-year results for an example threshold level of 25,000 MWh. This
threshold methodology follows the lead of the Pacific Northwest Resource Adequacy Forum,
which reports the probability of a “significant event” occurring in the winter season.
Fuel Source Diversity
For assessing fuel source diversity on a summary basis for each portfolio, PacifiCorp calculated
the new resource generation shares for three resource categories as reflected in the System
Optimizer expansion plan:
Thermal
Renewables
Demand-side management
Phase (7) Top-Performing Portfolio Selection
Initial Screening
As noted earlier, PacifiCorp conducted stochastic simulations of all core cases across two Energy
Gateway scenarios and three CO2 tax levels. For preferred portfolio selection, the Company
reviewed stochastic performance metrics among those core cases developed under Energy
Gateway Scenarios 1 and 2. Transmission lines in Energy Gateway Scenario 1 have either
already been constructed or are currently under construction. Energy Gateway Scenario 2
includes preliminary analysis using the System Operational and Reliability Benefits Tool (SBT),
described in Chapter 4, supports continued pursuit of Gateway Segment D. Portfolios developed
under Energy Gateway Scenarios 3 through 5 were not analyzed as candidates for the preferred
portfolio. Stochastic risk analysis of Energy Gateway segments included in these scenarios will
be studied in future IRPs as the SBT, described in Chapter 4, is developed for each segment.
One of the cost measures in the screening of portfolios is the system PVRR. In order for the
portfolios from different Energy Gateway scenarios to be comparable, the costs of the portfolios
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from Energy Gateway Scenario 2 are adjusted to reflect the benefits of Segment D as determined
by the SBT that is discussed in Chapter 4.
Prior to the initial screening process, for each of the CO2 price levels, a pre-screening was
performed to remove outlier portfolios among the 36 portfolios whose mean PVRR and upper
tail mean PVRR were clear cost and/or risk outliers in relation to other portfolios. Figure 7.27,
which plots the upper tail risk and stochastic mean PVRR cost of candidate portfolios, illustrates
how a clear delineation of cost and risk variance among portfolios can be used to exclude
extreme outliers.
Figure 7.27 – Illustrative Pre-Screening to Remove Outliers
For the initial screening, PacifiCorp applied the following decision rule for identifying portfolios
with the best combination of lowest mean PVRR and lowest upper-tail mean PVRR.
For each CO2 tax scenario:
Identify the portfolio with the lowest mean PVRR to establish a cost and risk threshold
calculated as two percent of the least-cost portfolio;
Identify portfolios that fall within the threshold amount as compared to the least cost
portfolio;
Identify portfolios that fall within the threshold amount as compared to the least risk
portfolio, using the upper tail mean PVRR less the stochastic mean PVRR as the risk
metric; then
Select portfolios that fall within the least cost and least risk thresholds among any CO2
price scenario as top performing portfolios.
The mean and upper-tail portfolio cost comparisons, as well as the top-performing portfolios, are
shown graphically with the use of scatter-plot graphs. Figure 7.28 illustrates the application of
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the decision rule for the medium CO2 tax scenario results, where the dashed red curve shows the
demarcation separating the lowest cost least risk portfolios.
Figure 7.28 – Illustrative Stochastic Mean vs. Upper-tail Mean PVRR Scatter-plot
Final Screening
The optimal portfolios for the three CO2 cost scenarios plus the cost averaging view are
evaluated based on the following primary criteria and measures:
Risk-adjusted PVRR
Carbon dioxide emissions
Supply reliability – average annual Energy Not Served and upper-tail mean (ENS)
Phase (8): Preliminary and Final Preferred Portfolio Selection
Selection of a preliminary preferred portfolio is based upon the Company’s assessment of the
criteria and measures used to summarize and rank candidate portfolios in the final screening
analysis. In this phase, portfolio rankings are reviewed while considering deliverability and the
core case definitions used to develop candidate portfolios. The Company also evaluates resource
diversity among candidate portfolios, looking at both capacity and energy measures.
Final selection is made after performing additional analysis, as required, on the preliminary
preferred portfolio taking into consideration conclusions drawn from analyses performed
throughout the modeling process. For the 2013 IRP, the Company completed additional analysis
on an alternative RPS compliance strategy that informed final section of the preferred portfolio
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CHAPTER 8 – MODELING AND PORTFOLIO SELECTION
RESULTS
CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS
Top performing portfolios developed from a range of core case definitions have
consistently utilize front office transactions (FOTs) and demand side management
programs to meet system capacity requirements in the first ten years of the planning
periods.
Portfolios with extensive coal retirements and coal unit gas conversions, occurring in
cases defined by low natural gas prices and/or high carbon dioxide prices (CO2), rely
heavily on incremental gas resources, and are high cost and high risk as compared to
portfolios that have no or limited coal retirements and coal unit gas conversions.
In cases that do not have extensive coal retirements and coal unit gas conversions, most
portfolios do not include incremental natural gas fired generation within the first ten
years of the planning period. Beyond the Lake Side 2 project, which is currently under
construction, the preferred portfolio does not show a need for a natural gas thermal
resource until 2024.
Cases defined without renewable portfolio standard (RPS) requirements produce
portfolios that have limited utility-scale renewable resources, and cases defined with
RPS requirements generally do not include incremental renewable resources beyond the
minimum levels required achieve compliance with RPS targets.
Inclusive of benefits calculated using the System Operational and Reliability Benefits
Tool (SBT), top performing portfolios containing renewable resources that achieve
compliance with RPS requirements perform better under Energy Gateway Scenario 2,
which includes the Windstar-Populus project, when compared to portfolios developed
under Energy Gateway Scenario 1.
PacifiCorp’s preferred portfolio includes the resources identified in the following table:
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Introduction
This chapter reports modeling and performance evaluation results for the portfolios developed with a
broad range of input assumptions using the System Optimizer model and simulated with the Planning
and Risk model. The preferred portfolio is presented along with a discussion of the relative
advantages and risks associated with the top-performing portfolios.
Discussion of the portfolio evaluation results falls into the following two main sections.
Preferred Portfolio Selection – This section covers: (1) core case portfolio results, (2) stochastic
production cost modeling results for these portfolios, (3) portfolio screening results, (4)
evaluation of the top-performing portfolios, and (5) preferred portfolio selection.
Portfolio Sensitivity Analysis – This section covers development and a comparative analysis of
sensitivity case portfolios to core case portfolios.
Preferred Portfolio Selection
Core Case Portfolio Results
The preferred portfolio selection process began with the development of resource portfolios using the
System Optimizer model. There are 19 core cases under each of the Energy Gateway scenarios.69
Figures 8.1 to 8.5 represent the cumulative capacity additions by resource type for each of the core
case portfolios and under the five Energy Gateway scenarios during the study period of 2013 to 2032.
The detailed resource portfolio tables are included in Appendix K, along with present value of
revenue requirement (PVRR) results. Comparison of the resource portfolios supports the following
observations:
Through the 20 year planning period, resource portfolios have stable levels of front office
transactions (FOTs) and demand side management (DSM) resources, indicating selection of
these resource types are cost effective among a wide range of scenarios.
Except for those scenarios with core case assumptions that yield extensive coal unit
retirements and gas conversions, natural gas resource additions are stable and not required
until the latter years of the planning horizon.
Core case definitions with low natural gas prices and/or high CO2 prices produced portfolios
with large scale early coal unit retirements and natural gas conversions that create an
increased capacity need largely satisfied with incremental gas resource additions.
Over the 20-year planning horizon, resource selections, while not identical, are similar among
the different Energy Gateway scenarios. The type and timing of new renewable resources
among cases with renewable portfolio standard (RPS) assumptions are influenced by inclusion
of Energy Gateway transmission, and are largely driven by increased access to high capacity
69 Core case C-19, which assumes an alternative to Energy Gateway Segment D, was not analyzed under Energy Gateway
Scenario 1, which does not include the Segment D project.
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factor wind resources in Wyoming with the addition of the Windstar-Populus project, which is
included in Energy Gateway Scenarios 2 through 5.
Figure 8.1 – Total Cumulative Capacity under Energy Gateway Scenario 1, 2013 through 2032
Figure 8.2 – Total Cumulative Capacity under Energy Gateway Scenario 2, 2013 through 2032
Figure 8.3 – Total Cumulative Capacity under Energy Gateway Scenario 3, 2013 through 2032
3.0 3.4 3.2
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Figure 8.4 – Total Cumulative Capacity under Energy Gateway Scenario 4, 2013 through 2032
Figure 8.5 – Total Cumulative Capacity under Energy Gateway Scenarios 5, 2013 through 2032
Resource Selection by Resource Type
Gas Resources
All portfolios include the Lake Side 2 combined cycle combustion turbine (CCCT) generating
plant, which is currently under construction with a 2014 in-service date.
There are no near-term gas-fired resources in cases defined with medium or high natural gas
prices paired with medium or zero CO2 price assumptions.
Near-term natural gas resources are included in those portfolios where extensive coal unit
retirements and natural gas conversions take place. This includes those cases with a combination
of low natural gas prices, high CO2 prices, and high coal costs (cases C04, C05, C08, and C09)
and cases with U.S. hard cap CO2 price assumptions (cases C14 and C18).
A 2017 CCCT is included in case C17, driven by an assumed market price spike that makes FOTs
more expensive.
Gas-fired resources, added primarily in the latter half of the planning horizon among most cases,
include both CCCTs in both 2x1 and 1x1 configurations with duct firing capability, and simple
cycle combustion turbines (SCCTs).
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Renewable Resources
Cases that do not assume RPS assumptions are generally devoid of incremental wind resources,
indicating that new wind resource additions are not cost effective given deteriorating policy and
market conditions.
Cases defined with RPS requirements generally do not include incremental renewable resources
beyond the minimum levels required to achieve compliance with RPS targets. An exception to
this outcome is case C14, which assumed U.S. hard cap CO2 prices that improve the cost
effectiveness of new wind generation.
Case C18, which assumes policy and market drivers favorable to renewable resource additions
(high natural gas prices, high power prices, U.S. hard cap CO2 prices, and extension of federal tax
credits through 2019) includes between 1,100 and 2,900 megawatts (MW) of new wind resources,
depending upon the Energy Gateway scenarios, 450 MW of large utility scale solar photovoltaic
(PV) resources, and 135 MW of capacity through a geothermal PPA by the end of the planning
horizon.
Large scale utility solar PV resources located in Utah are added in cases with RPS requirements
under Energy Gateway Scenario 1 and in all 18 cases. With the exception of case C18, wind
resource additions displace large utility scale solar PV resources in meeting RPS obligations when
the Windstar-Populus transmission project is included among Energy Gateway Scenarios 2
through 5.
Geothermal resources were modeled as a power purchase agreement (PPA) in the 2013 IRP and
are forced into C16 portfolios.
All portfolios include approximately 15 MW of distributed solar resource additions each year
totaling 290 MW over the 20 year planning horizon. These resources are largely driven by a Utah
solar incentive program, currently scheduled to conclude in 2017. Through the 2017 period, it is
assumed the program will achieve approved installation levels, and beyond 2017, these resources
are selected by the System Optimizer model.
Demand-side Management
Energy efficiency (Class 2 DSM) resource additions are prevalent among all portfolios and play a
significant role in meeting projected capacity and energy needs through the planning horizon.
Energy efficiency additions occur steadily throughout the simulation period, and by 2032 range
between approximately 1,400 MW and 1,900 MW among portfolios in each Energy Gateway
Scenario.70
In cases where accelerated acquisition of energy efficiency resources is assumed to be achievable
(cases C14, C15, and C18), energy efficiency resources displace FOT resources in the near-term;
however, over the long-term, these cases do not yield incremental energy efficiency resources as
compared to other portfolios.
Dispatchable load control programs (Class 1 DSM) are not added to resource portfolios in Energy
Gateway Scenario 1 until 2020 and not until 2023 in Energy Gateway Scenarios 2 through 5. In
cases with extensive coal unit retirements and natural gas conversions, little to no Class 1 DSM
resources are included in the resource mix. On average, among all core case portfolios, System
Optimizer selected between 123 MW of Class 1 DSM resources by 2032.
70 These figures are analogous to a “nameplate” rating for thermal resources, and represent the maximum amount of load
reduction savings expected for a given year.
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Front Office Transactions
All portfolios utilized front office transactions to fill both near-term and long-term system
capacity needs, a consistent trend among all Energy Gateway scenarios. Figure 8.6 shows the
annual front office transactions selected among core case portfolios under Energy Gateway
Scenario 2. Over the first 10 years of the planning period, FOTs range between 599 MW and
1,428 MW. In the latter half of the planning horizon, annual FOT resource selections range
between 710 MW and 1,472 MW. Beyond 2016, selection of FOTs is highest in case C17, which
assumes a market price spike through 2022. Prior to 2016, FOTs are highest in cases with near-
term coal unit retirements (cases C04, C05, C08 and C09).
Figure 8.6 – Front Office Transaction Addition Trends by Portfolio, EG-2
Retirements/Gas Conversion of Existing Coal-Fired Resources
All portfolios reflected the end of life retirement of Carbon Unit 1 and Unit 2 in 2015.
In addition to Carbon Unit 1 and Unit 2, asset lives of nine coal-fired facilities are assume to end
prior to the end of this IRP’s study period.
All portfolios reflect the conversion of Naughton Unit 3 to natural gas.
Portfolio selections show that in the cases defined with medium or high natural gas prices and
medium or low CO2 prices, there are very few occurrences of coal unit early retirements or
natural gas conversions. This is observed whether base case or stringent case Regional Haze
investments are assumed.
In the cases defined with high CO2 price, low gas price and high coal cost assumptions (cases
C04, C05, C08, and C09), the majority of the existing coal-fired facilities retire early and in the
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EG2-C15 EG2-C16 EG2-C17 EG2-C18 EG2-C19
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first 10 years of the planning horizon. Among these cases, early retirement outcomes are not
significantly different whether base case or stringent Regional Haze investments are assumed. In
cases where U.S. hard cap CO2 price assumptions are made (cases C14 and C18) coal units retire
early, but latter in the planning period as compared to cases C04, C05, C08, and C09.
Impact of Energy Gateway Segments
Additional segments of the Energy Gateway reduce system costs, especially for cases assuming
RPS requirements. In these cases, access to high capacity factor Wyoming wind resources made
possible by the addition of the Windstar-Populus transmission line in Energy Gateway Scenarios
2 through 5, lower RPS compliance costs.
Figures 8.7 through 8.10 show the increase in Energy Gateway transmission costs between
different Energy Gateway Scenarios as compared to Energy Gateway Scenario 1 (red line)
alongside changes in system PVRR costs, as calculated by System Optimizer, between like
portfolios in different Energy Gateway Scenarios as compared to Energy Gateway Scenario 1
(bars). Differences in portfolio costs among like cases do not include the benefits of Segment D
as determined by the System Operational and Reliability Benefits Tool (SBT) described in
Volume I, Chapter 4. Bars that fall below the red line indicate portfolios observed system cost
benefits when incremental Energy Gateway transmission is added. Core cases that include RPS
assumptions show system cost benefits with incremental transmission investment. Core case C19
assumes there an alternative to Energy Gateway Segment D, and is not included under Energy
Gateway Scenario 1. Consequently, case C19 is not shown in the figures below.
Figure 8.7 – PVRR Difference in System Costs between Like Portfolios in Energy Gateway
Scenario 2 and Energy Gateway Scenario 1 (System Optimizer)
$909 $894 $913 $906 $894 $910
$422$691 $620 $624 $604 $904 $697 $607 $628 $624 $718 $643$0
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Figure 8.8– PVRR Difference in System Costs between Like Portfolios in Energy Gateway
Scenario 3 and Energy Gateway Scenario 1 (System Optimizer)
Figure 8.9 – PVRR Difference in System Costs between Like Portfolios in Energy Gateway
Scenario 4 and Energy Gateway Scenario 1
Figure 8.10 – PVRR Difference in System Costs between Like Portfolios in Energy Gateway
Scenario 5 and Energy Gateway Scenario 1
Summary of Portfolios among Core Case Themes
Reference Cases: Cases in the Reference Case Theme are characterized by base/medium
assumptions with varying types of RPS assumptions.
– Differences among portfolios in this theme are driven by RPS policy assumptions.
$1,557 $1,499 $1,564 $1,548 $1,581 $1,561
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$2,178 $2,112 $2,197 $2,161 $2,197 $2,188
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$1,993 $1,916 $1,855 $1,901 $1,893 $1,928 $1,904 $1,661 $1,918 $2,011 $1,898
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– When no RPS assumptions are made, there are very small quantities of large utility-scale
renewable resources selected. In these cases, wind resource additions range between zero
and 78 MW through 2032.
– When state RPS assumptions are applied, renewable resources are added at levels required
to achieve compliance. In Energy Gateway Scenario 1, wind additions total 600 MW and
“large scale” solar photovoltaic (PV) additions total 28 MW by 2032. Among Energy
Gateway Scenarios 2 through five, wind resource additions range between 759 MW and
829 MW by 2032.
– With both state and federal RPS assumptions, renewable resources are added at levels to
achieve compliance with targets. In Energy Gateway Scenario 1, incremental wind
resources total 803 MW and a 227 MW large scale solar PV resource is added in 2026.
Among Energy Gateway Scenarios 2 through 5, wind resource additions range between
858 MW and 928 MW by 2032.
Environmental Policy Cases: Cases in the Environmental Policy Theme are characterized by
varying combinations of commodity market prices, CO2 prices, RPS requirements, and Regional
Haze requirements.
– The impact of RPS assumptions on renewable resource additions is similar to those
observed among cases in the Reference Theme, whereby no to limited amounts of
incremental renewable resources are added to the resource portfolio when RPS
compliance obligations are removed.
– Alternative Regional Haze assumptions did not drive changes in coal unit early retirement
and natural gas conversions.
– Incremental environmental investments in coal units are made in favor of early retirement
and gas conversion alternatives for nearly all units and in nearly all cases where where
medium natural gas prices are combined with medium CO2 price and medium coal cost
assumptions, and in cases where high natural gas prices are combined with zero CO2
prices and low coal costs.
– Under cases defined by low natural gas prices combined with high CO2 prices and high
coal costs (cases C04, C05, C08, and C09), nearly all of PacifiCorp’s existing coal-fired
resources are retired or converted to natural gas prior to 2032.
– When U.S. hard cap CO2 prices are assumed, the resulting portfolios reflect coal
retirements and gas conversions similar to the levels seen in cases C04, C05, C08, and
C09.
Targeted Resource Cases: Cases in the Targeted Resource Theme are characterized by alternative
assumptions for specific resource types to understand how they influence resource portfolio costs
and risk.
– Case C15 assumes energy efficiency resources (Class 2 DSM) can be acquired at an
accelerated rate and disallows selection of new CCCT generation assets. High level
adjustments were applied to the 2012 DSM Potential study measures and ramp rates to
allow selection of up to two percent of 2011 actual sales in each state. After discretionary
resources are exhausted, annual Class 2 DSM opportunities decrease, with remaining
resources from equipment upgrades and new construction. As compared to core cases
with base Class 2 DSM resource availability, System Optimizer model selected additional
Class 2 DSM resources earlier in the planning horizon, and as intended, this portfolio does
not include any new CCCT resources through the 20 year planning period.
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– Case C16 assumes that state and federal RPS obligations must first be met with available
geothermal power purchase agreement (PPA) resources among five sites located in
PacifiCorp’s service territory. In this case, 145 MW of geothermal PPA resource is added
and supplemented with additional wind resources as required to meet RPS requirements.
With the addition of the geothermal PPA resources, the 227 MW large utility-scale solar
PV resources added in 2026 in reference case C03 under Energy Gateway Scenario 1 is
displaced.
– Case C17 assumes forward power prices under a high natural gas price scenario increase
by 50 percent during on-peak hours and by 30 percent in off-peak hours. In this case,
FOT resources are reduced, but not eliminated, and a CCCT natural gas resource is added
to the portfolio in 2017.
– Case C18 targets a “Clean Energy Bookend” portfolio and is defined with high natural gas
prices, high power prices, and U.S hard cap CO2 price assumptions along with extension
of federal tax incentives for renewable resources through 2019. The resulting portfolio
includes incremental renewable resources beyond 2019, early coal unit retirements and gas
conversions beginning 2023, a nuclear resource in 2025, and an integrated gasification
combined cycle unit (IGCC) with carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) in 2032.
Transmission Case: The Transmission Theme includes one core case assuming that transmission
can be purchased from a new line built by a third party as an alternative to the Company’s Energy
Gateway Segment D project. Resource selections in this case do not vary significantly from those
observed in reference case C03.
Carbon Dioxide Emissions
Figures 8.11 through 8.13 show annual CO2 emissions from resource portfolios under Energy
Gateway Scenario 2 grouped by core case theme.71 All cases show emission reductions over the 20
year planning horizon with the assumed end-of-life retirement of existing coal units. Longer-term
addition of renewable resources among those cases with RPS assumptions and longer-term addition
of natural gas resources, required to meet load growth and assumed end-of-life coal unit retirements,
also contribute to lower emission levels. Portfolios showing the most dramatic CO2 emission
reductions include those cases in the Environmental Policy and Targeted Resource Themes producing
portfolios with extensive early coal unit retirements and gas conversions (cases C04, C05, C08, C09,
C15, and C18).
71 Similar emission trends are observed among other Energy Gateway Scenarios.
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Figure 8.11 – Annual CO2 Emissions: Reference Cases
Figure 8.12 – Annual CO2 Emissions: Environmental Policy
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Figure 8.13 – Annual CO2 Emissions: Targeted Resources
Pre-Screening Results
As described in Chapter 7, the Company tested in the Planning and Risk model (PaR) 36 core case
portfolios from Energy Gateway Scenarios 1 and 2 with the application of stochastic Monte Carlo
simulation of market prices, loads, thermal outages and hydro generation, across three CO2 price
levels (zero, medium, and high). Pre-screening of portfolios was performed by producing scatter
plots of stochastic mean and upper tail mean less stochastic mean PVRR results using data from the
PaR simulations among each CO2 price scenario.72 The resulting scatter plots, shown in Figures 8.14
through 8.19, were used to identify portfolios that are extreme cost and or risk outliers relative to
other portfolios. The red dashed line depicted on each of the following figures demarcates the
threshold used to identify outlier portfolios. Portfolios to the left and below the dashed red line are
lower cost and lower risk and were designated as superior relative to those portfolios to the right and
above the red dashed line.
72 Netting the stochastic mean PVRR from the upper tail mean PVRR is done to isolate fixed costs common to both
metrics.
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EG2-C15 EG2-C16 EG2-C17 EG2-C18 EG2-C19
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 8 – MODELING RESULTS
213
Figure 8.14 Remove Outliers, Energy Gateway Scenario 1 with Zero CO2 Prices
Figure 8.15 Remove Outliers, Energy Gateway Scenario 1 with Medium CO2 Prices
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 8 – MODELING RESULTS
214
Figure 8.16 Remove Outliers, Energy Gateway Scenario 1 with High CO2 Prices
Figure 8.17 Remove Outliers, Energy Gateway Scenario 2 with Zero CO2 Prices
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 8 – MODELING RESULTS
215
Figure 8.18 Remove Outliers, Energy Gateway Scenario 2 with Medium CO2 Prices
Figure 8.19 Remove Outliers, Energy Gateway Scenario 2 with High CO2 Prices
A consistent set of portfolios among each CO2 price scenario and for each Energy Gateway scenario
are outliers in relation to other portfolios included on the above plots. These portfolios, each
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 8 – MODELING RESULTS
216
characterized by extensive early coal unit retirements and gas conversions (cases C04, C05, C08,
C09, C14, and C18), were removed from consideration as candidates for the preferred portfolio. As
an additional pre-screening step, the case C19 portfolio was removed from consideration because the
case is predicated on completion of a third party transmission project (the Zephyr DC line), which is
not currently far enough into the development process for it to be considered for the preferred
portfolio.73 Similarly, portfolios that cannot meet compliance with state and assumed federal RPS
requirements were also removed from consideration. As a result, the portfolios identified in the pre-
screening analysis as potential preferred portfolio candidates include portfolios from cases C03, C07,
C11, C13, C15, C16 and C17 under Energy Gateway Scenarios 1 and 2 (14 portfolios).
Initial Screening Results
With the removal of pre-screened portfolios, scatter plots of the stochastic mean PVRR and the
stochastic mean PVRR less the upper tail mean PVRR can be viewed with finer resolution. Figures
8.20 to 8.22 show these scatter plots for the 14 portfolios identified in the pre-screening analysis
under zero, medium and high CO2 price levels. The red line demarcates the group of portfolios
designated as superior with respect to the combination of the cost and risk metrics. The red
demarcation line is established by calculating a cost/risk variance threshold using two percent of the
stochastic mean PVRR of the least cost portfolio under each CO2 price scenario and applying this
threshold to the least cost and least risk portfolios on each scatter plot. For example, under medium
CO2 price scenario, the least cost portfolio has a stochastic mean PVRR of $31.3 billion. Two
percent of this figure is $630 million, which is the threshold used for the medium CO2 price scenario.
Any portfolio that is within $630 million of the lowest cost portfolio and within $630 million of the
least risk portfolio in the medium CO2 price scenario is to the left and blow the red dashed line. The
cost /risk threshold used in the zero and high CO2 scenarios is $550 million and $750 million,
respectively.
73 The Zephyr DC line would provide no reliability benefits to PacifiCorp’s existing transmission system and may require
additional infrastructure additions to meet reliability for the existing system. The line does not provide interconnection
for of new resources except at the termination points established if the project were constructed and does not allow for
multiple interconnection points with the existing PacifiCorp transmission system. The proposed line with PacifiCorp
transmission is more expensive than Energy Gateway Segment D.
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 8 – MODELING RESULTS
217
Figure 8.20 Stochastic mean PVRR versus Upper-tail Risk with Zero CO2 Prices
Figure 8.21 Stochastic mean PVRR versus Upper-tail Risk with Medium CO2 Prices
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 8 – MODELING RESULTS
218
Figure 8.22 Stochastic mean PVRR versus Upper-tail Risk with High CO2 Prices
Portfolios that fall within the threshold identified by the red dashed line in the figures above under
any CO2 price scenario are considered as candidates for the preferred portfolio and passed along for
final screening. Based upon the initial screening scatter plot analysis, which shows there is very little
separation between portfolios, the top performing portfolios using least cost/least risk metrics include
portfolios from cases C03, C07, C11, C15, C16 and C17 under Energy Gateway Scenarios 1 and 2
(12 portfolios).
Final Screening Results
Risk-adjusted PVRR
The risk adjusted PVRR is one of the primary metrics used to rank and inform selection of the
preferred portfolio. As described in Chapter 7, this metric combines cost and risk attributes from the
PaR model by expressing a low probability portfolio cost outcome as a risk premium to the expected
PVRR.74 Table 8.1 reports the risk-adjusted PVRR values and relative ranking among the 12
portfolios identified in the initial screening analysis by CO2 price scenario. Portfolios developed
under core case C15 under Energy Gateway Scenarios 1 and 2 (EG1-C15 and EG2-C15, as depicted
in the table below), which eliminates the possibility of new CCCT resources and assumes accelerated
acquisition of Class 2 DSM resources, rank high on a risk adjusted PVRR basis. The portfolio
developed under core case C07 under Energy Gateway Scenario 2 also ranks high, ranking just below
the C15 cases in the zero and medium CO2 scenarios and ranking second, above the portfolio
developed under case C15 from Energy Gateway Scenario 2, when high CO2 prices are assumed.
74 This risk adjusted PVRR is calculated as the stochastic mean PVRR plus five percent of the 95th percentile of the
variable production cost PVRR, excluding fixed costs.
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 8 – MODELING RESULTS
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Table 8.1 Portfolio Comparison, Risk-adjusted PVRR
Cumulative Carbon Dioxide Emissions
Table 8.2 reports the average cumulative 20-year CO2 emissions (average of the 100 Monte Carlo
iterations) for each of the 12 portfolios identified in the initial screening analysis. The EG1-C15
portfolio has slightly lower CO2 emissions beginning 2017, but emissions are higher in longer-term
given the absence of base load combined cycle combustion turbine resources. The difference between
the average annual emissions in the highest ranking portfolio and the lowest ranking portfolio in the
medium CO2 scenario is 1.3 million tons, or 3% of annual system CO2 emissions among all portfolios.
Table 8.2 –Portfolio Comparison, Cumulative CO2 Emissions for 2013-2032
While there are differences in cumulative CO2 emissions among each of the portfolios that are used to
rank the portfolios under each of the CO2 price scenarios, as shown in Figure 8.23, the expected
emission levels among the 12 portfolios identified in the initial screening analysis are very similar
over the 20 year planning period.
Risk
Adjusted
PVRR
($m)
Change
from
Lowest
Cost
Portfolio
($m)Rank
Risk
Adjusted
PVRR
($m)
Change
from
Lowest
Cost
Portfolio
($m)Rank
Risk
Adjusted
PVRR
($m)
Change
from
Lowest
Cost
Portfolio
($m)Rank
Risk
Adjusted
PVRR
($m)
Change
from
Lowest
Cost
Portfolio
($m)Rank
EG1-C03 $28,719 $306 7 $32,717 $245 4 $39,175 $179 3 $33,537 $244 5
EG1-C07 $28,894 $481 8 $32,956 $485 8 $39,476 $480 8 $33,775 $482 8
EG1-C11 $29,140 $727 11 $33,123 $651 11 $39,529 $534 9 $33,931 $637 11
EG1-C15 $28,413 $0 1 $32,471 $0 1 $38,996 $0 1 $33,293 $0 1
EG1-C16 $28,703 $290 6 $32,718 $247 5 $39,186 $191 5 $33,536 $243 4
EG1-C17 $29,146 $733 12 $33,203 $732 12 $39,694 $699 12 $34,014 $721 12
EG2-C03 $28,695 $282 5 $32,729 $257 6 $39,203 $208 6 $33,542 $249 6
EG2-C07 $28,621 $208 3 $32,679 $208 3 $39,149 $153 2 $33,483 $190 3
EG2-C11 $29,045 $632 10 $33,108 $636 9 $39,618 $622 11 $33,924 $630 9
EG2-C15 $28,494 $81 2 $32,595 $123 2 $39,186 $191 4 $33,425 $131 2
EG2-C16 $28,646 $233 4 $32,735 $263 7 $39,295 $299 7 $33,558 $265 7
EG2-C17 $29,044 $631 9 $33,120 $648 10 $39,607 $612 10 $33,924 $630 10
Case
Zero CO2 Medium CO2 High CO2 CO2 Scenario Average
Total CO2
Emissions,
2013-2032
(Thousand
Tons)
Change
from
Lowest
Emission
Portfolio Rank
Total CO2
Emissions,
2013-2032
(Thousand
Tons)
Change
from
Lowest
Emission
Portfolio Rank
Total CO2
Emissions,
2013-2032
(Thousand
Tons)
Change
from
Lowest
Emission
Portfolio Rank
Total CO2
Emissions,
2013-2032
(Thousand
Tons)
Change
from
Lowest
Emission
Portfolio Rank
EG1-C03 871,984 9,220 3 836,154 4,773 3 803,958 2,917 3 837,365 4,990 3
EG1-C07 884,725 21,962 6 845,061 13,680 6 811,879 10,838 6 847,222 14,847 6
EG1-C11 871,047 8,283 2 833,753 2,372 2 801,042 0 1 835,280 2,905 2
EG1-C15 862,764 0 1 831,381 0 1 802,982 1,940 2 832,375 0 1
EG1-C16 873,506 10,743 4 836,778 5,397 4 804,491 3,449 5 838,258 5,883 4
EG1-C17 896,136 33,372 11 857,056 25,675 11 824,668 23,626 10 859,286 26,911 11
EG2-C03 873,964 11,200 5 837,300 5,919 5 804,480 3,439 4 838,581 6,206 5
EG2-C07 884,841 22,077 7 845,998 14,616 7 813,184 12,143 7 848,008 15,632 7
EG2-C11 886,356 23,593 8 848,108 16,727 8 815,771 14,730 8 850,079 17,703 8
EG2-C15 889,384 26,621 10 855,418 24,037 10 824,930 23,889 11 856,578 24,202 10
EG2-C16 888,635 25,871 9 851,427 20,046 9 820,124 19,083 9 853,395 21,020 9
EG2-C17 897,356 34,592 12 858,353 26,972 12 825,533 24,492 12 860,414 28,039 12
Case
Zero CO2 Medium CO2 High CO2 CO2 Scenario Average
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 8 – MODELING RESULTS
220
Figure 8.23 Stochastic Mean Annual CO2 Emissions with Medium CO2 Prices
Supply Reliability
Table 8.3 and Table 8.4 report two measures of stochastic supply reliability, average annual energy
not served (ENS) and upper-tail mean ENS, for each of the 12 portfolios identified in the initial
screening analysis. The portfolios developed under case EG1-C15 and EG2-C11 perform the best on
these two measures, and differences among portfolios are not material between CO2 price scenarios.
The high ranking of the portfolio developed under case EG1-C15 is largely influenced by west side
Class 1 DSM resources that were added over the period from 2020 to 2025.
Table 8.3 – Portfolio Comparison, Stochastic Mean Energy Not Served
0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
30,000
35,000
40,000
45,000
50,000
55,000
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032
Th
o
u
s
a
n
d
s
T
o
n
s
EG1-C03 EG2-C03 EG1_C07 EG2_C07 EG1_C11 EG2_C11
EG1_C15 EG2_C15 EG1_C16 EG2_C16 EG1_C17 EG2_C17
Average
Annual
ENS, 2013-
2032
(GWh)
Change
from
Lowest
ENS
Portfolio Rank
Average
Annual
ENS, 2013-
2032
(GWh)
Change
from
Lowest
ENS
Portfolio Rank
Average
Annual
ENS, 2013-
2032
(GWh)
Change
from
Lowest
ENS
Portfolio Rank
Average
Annual
ENS, 2013-
2032
(GWh)
Change
from
Lowest
ENS
Portfolio Rank
EG1-C03 44.9 10.5 8 46.0 11.1 7 47.1 11.3 5 46.0 11.0 7
EG1-C07 56.8 22.4 11 58.8 23.8 11 61.6 25.7 11 59.0 24.0 11
EG1-C11 40.9 6.5 3 42.3 7.3 2 44.2 8.3 2 42.5 7.4 2
EG1-C15 34.4 0.0 1 35.0 0.0 1 35.8 0.0 1 35.1 0.0 1
EG1-C16 42.4 8.0 4 44.3 9.3 4 46.5 10.7 3 44.4 9.4 4
EG1-C17 61.5 27.0 12 63.6 28.6 12 66.0 30.2 12 63.7 28.6 12
EG2-C03 42.7 8.3 6 45.6 10.7 6 49.0 13.2 7 45.8 10.7 6
EG2-C07 43.2 8.8 7 46.6 11.6 8 50.7 14.9 8 46.8 11.8 8
EG2-C11 40.6 6.2 2 43.3 8.3 3 46.8 11.0 4 43.6 8.5 3
EG2-C15 51.5 17.0 9 53.6 18.7 9 55.6 19.7 9 53.5 18.5 9
EG2-C16 42.7 8.3 5 45.6 10.6 5 48.9 13.1 6 45.8 10.7 5
EG2-C17 51.7 17.3 10 55.8 20.9 10 60.8 25.0 10 56.1 21.1 10
Case
Zero CO2 Medium CO2 High CO2 CO2 Scenario Average
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 8 – MODELING RESULTS
221
Table 8.4 – Portfolio Comparison, Energy Not Served - Upper Tail
Most of the differences in ENS ranking of stochastic mean are largely driven by changes in portfolios
beyond the first ten years of the IRP planning horizon. Figure 8.24 shows the annual stochastic mean
ENS among the 12 portfolios identified in the initial screening analysis under the medium CO2 price
scenario.
Figure 8.24 Stochastic Mean Annual ENS with Medium CO2 Prices
Preferred Portfolio Selection
Based upon the metrics reviewed in the final screening analysis, and given similarities among
portfolios, particularly in the near-term, with regard to CO2 emissions and ENS as reported by the
PaR model, PacifiCorp has primarily relied upon the risk adjusted net PVRR results and the
associated portfolio rankings to inform preliminary selection of a preferred portfolio.
Average
Annual
ENS, 2013-
2032
(GWh)
Change
from
Lowest
ENS
Portfolio Rank
Average
Annual
ENS, 2013-
2032
(GWh)
Change
from
Lowest
ENS
Portfolio Rank
Average
Annual
ENS, 2013-
2032
(GWh)
Change
from
Lowest
ENS
Portfolio Rank
Average
Annual
ENS, 2013-
2032
(GWh)
Change
from
Lowest
ENS
Portfolio Rank
EG1-C03 69.2 10.7 4 70.9 14.8 2 75.7 15.2 2 71.9 13.6 2
EG1-C07 97.9 39.4 11 104.2 48.2 11 115.6 55.1 10 105.9 47.5 11
EG1-C11 71.2 12.7 5 73.0 17.0 3 86.8 26.3 3 77.0 18.7 3
EG1-C15 58.5 0.0 1 56.1 0.0 1 60.5 0.0 1 58.4 0.0 1
EG1-C16 73.3 14.8 7 77.3 21.2 6 91.9 31.4 4 80.8 22.5 5
EG1-C17 106.0 47.5 12 105.1 49.0 12 113.8 53.3 9 108.3 49.9 12
EG2-C03 68.6 10.1 3 75.4 19.3 5 99.3 38.8 6 81.1 22.7 6
EG2-C07 77.1 18.6 8 89.3 33.3 9 118.4 57.9 11 94.9 36.6 9
EG2-C11 66.9 8.4 2 74.5 18.5 4 95.1 34.6 5 78.8 20.5 4
EG2-C15 82.3 23.8 9 86.3 30.2 8 102.4 41.9 8 90.3 32.0 8
EG2-C16 71.7 13.2 6 84.3 28.2 7 102.0 41.5 7 86.0 27.6 7
EG2-C17 82.6 24.1 10 99.2 43.1 10 133.4 72.9 12 105.1 46.7 10
Case
Zero CO2 Medium CO2 High CO2 CO2 Scenario Average
0
25
50
75
100
125
150
175
200
225
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032
GW
h
EG1-C03 EG2-C03 EG1-C07 EG2-C07 EG1-C11 EG2-C11
EG1-C15 EG2-C15 EG1-C16 EG2-C16 EG1-C17 EG2-C17
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 8 – MODELING RESULTS
222
Deliverability of Accelerated Class 2 DSM and Resource Constraints
Portfolios developed under case C15 for Energy Gateway Scenarios 1 and 2 have the highest risk
adjusted net PVRR ranking among candidate portfolios across different CO2 price scenarios.75
Portfolios developed under case C15 assume that acquisition of Class 2 DSM resources can be
accelerated and was developed absent the opportunity for cost effective selection of CCCT resources.
High level adjustments were applied to base case measure costs and ramp rates to develop the input
assumptions required to develop this portfolio using the System Optimizer model. While the risk
adjusted net PVRR results for the two C15 portfolios rank high in relation to other candidate
portfolios, the Company has not chosen the C15 portfolios as the preferred portfolio for the following
reasons:
The high level cost assumptions underlying selection of the accelerated Class 2 DSM
resources are uncertain. The Company does not have strong evidence in support of the true
acquisition costs.
Ramp rate assumptions underlying selection of the accelerated Class 2 DSM resources are
untested ramp rate modifications. The Company does not have strong evidence that the
revised ramp rate assumptions are achievable given regulatory and market factors.
The Company is reluctant to select a portfolio that was developed with the exclusion of an
entire class of proven resource technology. It is not reasonable to consider a portfolio that on
the outset precludes consideration of CCCT resources throughout the entire 20 year planning
horizon.
Nonetheless, the potential benefits of acquiring Class 2 DSM early is highlighted in the C15 portfolio
results, and specific action items have been included in the 2013 IRP Action Plan (Chapter 9)
targeting accelerated acquisition of cost-effective Class 2 DSM resources.
Resource Diversity
Figure 8.25 summarizes the nameplate capacity of cumulative resource selection through 2022 among
the six portfolios beyond the C15 cases that rank highest on a risk adjusted net PVRR basis. This
figure illustrates the similarity among the top performing portfolios, identified using cost and risk
metrics, through the first 10 years of the planning period – the timeframe most critical to influencing
the 2013 IRP Action Plan. With reduced loads and market prices, each portfolio is dominated by
Class 2 DSM resources and FOT resources.76 None of the portfolios include a CCCT resource over
this period. Among these portfolios, renewable resources are added in different quantities and at
different times for the sole purpose of meeting west side state RPS requirements. The variability in
quantity, type, and timing of new renewable resources is dependent on whether the Windstar-Populus
transmission project is built under the Energy Gateway Scenario 2.
75 The C07 portfolio under Energy Gateway Scenario 2 outranks the C15 portfolio under Energy Gateway Scenario 2
when high CO2 prices are assumed. 76 Among the top ranking portfolios, no Class 1 DSM resources are added in the first 10 years of the planning period.
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 8 – MODELING RESULTS
223
Figure 8.25 Resource Types among Top Performing Portfolios
Table 8.5 reports the generation share in each portfolio among new resources by resource category for
2022 and 2032 for the six portfolios beyond the C15 cases that rank highest on a risk adjusted net
PVRR basis. The resource categories reported include: thermal (including Lake Side 2), FOTs,
renewable, and DSM programs.
Table 8.5 – Percentage Share of Generation of New Resources by Category
-500
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
3,500
EG
1
-
C
0
7
EG
2
-
C
0
7
EG
1
-
C
1
6
EG
2
-
C
1
6
EG
1
-
C
0
3
EG
2
-
C
0
3
EG
1
-
C
0
7
EG
2
-
C
0
7
EG
1
-
C
1
6
EG
2
-
C
1
6
EG
1
-
C
0
3
EG
2
-
C
0
3
EG
1
-
C
0
7
EG
2
-
C
0
7
EG
1
-
C
1
6
EG
2
-
C
1
6
EG
1
-
C
0
3
EG
2
-
C
0
3
EG
1
-
C
0
7
EG
2
-
C
0
7
EG
1
-
C
1
6
EG
2
-
C
1
6
EG
1
-
C
0
3
EG
2
-
C
0
3
EG
1
-
C
0
7
EG
2
-
C
0
7
EG
1
-
C
1
6
EG
2
-
C
1
6
EG
1
-
C
0
3
EG
2
-
C
0
3
EG
1
-
C
0
7
EG
2
-
C
0
7
EG
1
-
C
1
6
EG
2
-
C
1
6
EG
1
-
C
0
3
EG
2
-
C
0
3
EG
1
-
C
0
7
EG
2
-
C
0
7
EG
1
-
C
1
6
EG
2
-
C
1
6
EG
1
-
C
0
3
EG
2
-
C
0
3
EG
1
-
C
0
7
EG
2
-
C
0
7
EG
1
-
C
1
6
EG
2
-
C
1
6
EG
1
-
C
0
3
EG
2
-
C
0
3
EG
1
-
C
0
7
EG
2
-
C
0
7
EG
1
-
C
1
6
EG
2
-
C
1
6
EG
1
-
C
0
3
EG
2
-
C
0
3
EG
1
-
C
0
7
EG
2
-
C
0
7
EG
1
-
C
1
6
EG
2
-
C
1
6
EG
1
-
C
0
3
EG
2
-
C
0
3
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Cu
m
u
l
a
t
i
v
e
C
a
p
a
c
i
t
y
(
M
W
)
DSM FOTs CCCT Peaking Gas Renewable Retirement Other
Thermal FOTs Renewable DSM
Combined
Renewables/
DSM
EG1-C03 24%21%15%39%54%
EG1-C07 24%21%15%39%54%
EG1-C16 24%20%16%38%55%
EG2-C03 27%23%6%42%49%
EG2-C07 27%23%6%43%49%
EG2-C16 27%23%7%43%49%
Thermal FOTs Renewable DSM
Combined
Renewables/
DSM
EG1-C03 26%13%15%46%60%
EG1-C07 38%11%14%36%50%
EG1-C16 26%13%15%46%61%
EG2-C03 27%11%16%45%61%
EG2-C07 35%10%14%41%55%
EG2-C16 28%13%17%42%59%
2022
2032
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 8 – MODELING RESULTS
224
Preliminary Selection
With consideration of the concerns around deliverability of Class 2 DSM resources in portfolios
developed under case C15, portfolio C07 under Energy Gateway Scenario 2 ranks highest among the
remaining portfolios on a risk-adjusted PVRR basis, and was selected as the preliminary preferred
portfolio for the 2013 IRP. Selection of the portfolio developed under case C07 under Energy
Gateway Scenario 2 is further supported by preliminary analysis using the SBT, showing net benefits
with the addition of the Windstar-Populus project. These benefits would improve in the event the
policy and market drivers affecting the addition of cost effective new renewables improve. The
current SBT analysis of the Windstar-Populus project would further improve with prospective future
additions of other Energy Gateway segments, which would increase the incremental capacity on the
new line without any incremental cost.
Final Selection
Incremental wind resources included in the preliminary preferred portfolio prior to 2024 are included
solely to meet the RPS compliance requirement in the state of Washington. However, there are
potentially lower cost alternatives to meeting the Washington RPS requirement through the use of
unbundled renewable energy credits. For this IRP, PacifiCorp performed an analysis that evaluated
the use of unbundled renewable energy credits in meeting Washington RPS compliance requirements.
This alternative Washington RPS compliance strategy was performed by first developing an
alternative to the EG2-C07 portfolio (EG2-C07a) using the System Optimizer model that excludes
208 MW of wind resources added to the system prior to 2024 that are used entirely for Washington
RPS compliance.77 In developing this portfolio, the System Optimizer model replaced the
Washington situs assigned wind generation with alternative resources. The EG2-C07a portfolio was
then analyzed in the PaR model under the same three CO2 price assumptions used in the portfolio
screening process described above. Figure 8.26 shows a scatter plot comparing the EG2-C07a
portfolio to the EG2-C07 portfolio among the three different CO2 price assumptions. As shown in the
figure, under each CO2 price scenario, EG2-C07a portfolio costs are lower and the upper tail risk
metric is slightly higher.
Figure 8.26 Stochastic Mean PVRR versus Upper-tail Risk with Zero CO2 Prices
77 The 208 MW of wind that was removed spans the period 2016 through 2023.
$3
$4
$4
$5
$5
$6
$27 $29 $31 $33 $35 $37 $39Up
p
e
r
T
a
i
l
M
e
a
n
P
V
R
R
l
e
s
s
S
t
o
c
h
a
s
t
i
c
M
e
a
n
PV
R
R
($
b
i
l
l
i
o
n
)
Stochastic Mean PVRR($ billion)
EG2-C07a Zero CO2 EG2-C07a Medium CO2 EG2-C07a High C02
EG2-C07 Zero CO2 EG2-C07 Medium CO2 EG2-C07 High C02
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 8 – MODELING RESULTS
225
Using the PaR simulation results, the Company calculated the difference in the stochastic mean
PVRR and the difference in the risk-adjusted PVRR per megawatt-hour (MWh) of wind generation
removed from the EG2-C07 portfolio. Table 8.6 shows the change in the stochastic mean PVRR
between the two portfolios, the change in the risk-adjusted net PVRR between the two portfolios, and
the associated first year real levelized change in system costs per megawatt-hour of wind removed.
Results are provided for each CO2 price scenario.
Table 8.6 – Impact of Washington Situs Assigned Wind Generation Resources
Stochastic Mean PVRR Risk-Adjusted PVRR
Reduction in System
PVRR with Removal
of Wind ($m)
Real Levelized
Reduction System
PVRR per MWh of
Wind Removed
($/MWh)
Reduction in System
PVRR with Removal
of Wind ($m)
Real Levelized
Reduction System
PVRR per MWh of
Wind Removed
($/MWh)
Zero CO2 243 61 232 59
Medium CO2 200 51 189 48
High CO2 132 33 116 29
The stochastic mean results above demonstrate that use of unbundled renewable energy credits (REC)
at prices at or below the range of $33/MWh to $61/MWh, depending upon the CO2 price scenario, is
a lower cost compliance alternative to adding wind resources to the system as a means to achieve
compliance with Washington RPS requirements. When accounting for risk, using the risk-adjusted
PVRR metric, the range in unbundled REC prices required to achieve a lower cost compliance
alternative to meeting Washington RPS requirements is slightly lower than the stochastic mean
results, but still significantly higher than currently observed unbundled REC prices. The results
above also suggest that REC prices would need to be in the range of $29/MWh to $61/MWh,
depending upon CO2 price assumptions and risk profile, for wind resources to be cost-effective given
current policy and market conditions. With current unbundled REC prices trading at approximately
$1/MWh, the Company has selected portfolio EG2-C07a as the 2013 IRP preferred portfolio. Figure
8.27 compares the change in nominal revenue requirement between the EG2-C07a and EG2-C07
portfolios. The spike observed in 2028 is driven by the acceleration of Class 1 DSM resources by one
year in the case where wind is removed from the EG2-C07 portfolio.
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 8 – MODELING RESULTS
226
Figure 8.27 Increase/(Decrease) in Annual Nominal Revenue Requirement with Wind
Removed from the EG2-C07 Portfolio
The 2013 IRP Preferred Portfolio
Summary Reports
The following tables and figures summarize the 2013 IRP preferred portfolio:
Table 8.7 shows the nameplate capacity of resources in the preferred portfolio over the 2013
through 2032 planning period.
Table 8.8 shows the load and resource balance inclusive of preferred portfolio resources for the
first 10 years of the planning horizon.
Figures 8.28 and 8.29 present the capacity and energy resource mix, respectively, for
representative years 2013 and 2022.
– In the case where the resource type for a purchased power contract is identifiable, the
contract is included with the corresponding resource group.
– Energy mix figures are based upon medium natural gas, power, and CO2 price
assumptions.
– As noted in Chapter 3, the renewable energy capacity and generation reflect categorization
by technology type and not disposition of renewable energy attributes for regulatory
compliance requirements.
Figure 8.30 graphically shows how PacifiCorp’s capacity deficit is met through existing and IRP
preferred portfolio resources.
Figure 8.31 shows the contribution of energy from preferred portfolio resources to load growth
projections from 2013 levels.
Table 8.9 shows the amount of energy from Class 2 DSM resources by state.
$(50)
$(40)
$(30)
$(20)
$(10)
$-
$10
$20
$30
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032
$
m
i
l
l
i
o
n
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 8 – MODELING RESULTS
227
Table 8.7 – PacifiCorp’s 2013 IRP Preferred Portfolio
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 8 – MODELING RESULTS
228
Table 8.8 – Preferred Portfolio Capacity Load and Resource Balance (2013-2022)
Calendar Year 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
East
Thermal 6,200 6,626 6,460 6,454 6,454 6,454 6,454 6,454 6,454 6,454
Hydroelectric 137 140 140 135 135 132 135 135 135 135
Renewable 85 85 83 83 83 83 83 83 82 80
Purchase 1,005 611 611 398 285 285 285 285 257 257
Qualifying Facilities 83 73 73 73 73 73 73 73 73 25
Sale (1,032)(732)(730)(724)(638)(638)(638)(639)(158)(158)
Non-Owned Reserves (103)(103)(138)(138)(138)(138)(138)(138)(138)(138)
Transfers 804 574 847 791 890 924 871 850 754 726
East Existing Resources 7,179 7,274 7,346 7,072 7,144 7,175 7,125 7,103 7,459 7,381
Combined heat and Power 0 0 1 3 3 3 3 4 4 6
Front Office Transactions 0 0 0 0 0 41 170 280 22 181
Gas 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Wind 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Solar 0 1 2 3 4 5 5 6 7 8
Other 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
East Planned Resources 0 1 3 6 7 49 178 290 33 195
East Total Resources 7,179 7,275 7,349 7,078 7,151 7,224 7,303 7,393 7,492 7,576
Load 6,920 7,061 7,188 6,994 7,105 7,217 7,337 7,455 7,584 7,697
Existing Resources:
Interruptible (141)(143)(155)(155)(155)(155)(155)(155)(155)(155)
DSM (379)(379)(379)(379)(379)(379)(379)(379)(379)(379)
New Resources:
Class 1 DSM 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Class 2 DSM (55)(109)(160)(208)(255)(302)(350)(389)(430)(466)
East obligation 6,345 6,430 6,494 6,252 6,316 6,381 6,453 6,532 6,620 6,697
Planning Reserves (13%)825 836 844 813 821 830 839 849 861 871
East Reserves 825 836 844 813 821 830 839 849 861 871
East Obligation + Reserves 7,170 7,266 7,338 7,065 7,137 7,211 7,292 7,381 7,481 7,568
East Position 9 9 11 13 14 13 11 12 11 8
East Reserve Margin 13.1%13.1%13.2%13.2%13.2%13.2%13.2%13.2%13.2%13.1%
West
Thermal 2,524 2,524 2,524 2,520 2,503 2,503 2,503 2,503 2,503 2,500
Hydroelectric 776 751 776 782 780 780 723 726 647 650
Renewable 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 19
Purchase 482 225 231 13 13 13 2 2 2 2
Qualifying Facilities 88 99 99 89 89 89 88 89 89 89
Sale (260)(260)(160)(110)(110)(110)(110)(110)(109)(103)
Non-Owned Reserves (9)(9)(9)(9)(9)(9)(9)(9)(9)(9)
Transfers (804)(574)(848)(792)(890)(924)(872)(851)(754)(727)
West Existing Resources 2,833 2,792 2,649 2,529 2,412 2,378 2,361 2,386 2,405 2,421
Combined heat and Power 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 6
Front Office Transactions 734 800 954 1,110 1,246 1,325 1,325 1,325 1,325 1,325
Gas 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Wind 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Solar 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Other 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
West Planned Resources 735 801 956 1,112 1,249 1,328 1,329 1,329 1,330 1,331
West Total Resources 3,568 3,593 3,605 3,641 3,661 3,706 3,690 3,715 3,735 3,752
Load 3,216 3,269 3,307 3,365 3,407 3,470 3,479 3,516 3,549 3,583
Existing Resources:
Interruptible 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
DSM (28)(28)(28)(28)(28)(28)(28)(28)(28)(28)
New Resources:
Class 1 DSM 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Class 2 DSM (26)(62)(86)(113)(139)(161)(183)(197)(217)(235)
West obligation 3,162 3,179 3,193 3,224 3,240 3,281 3,268 3,291 3,304 3,320
Planning Reserves (13%)411 413 415 419 421 427 425 428 430 432
West Reserves 411 413 415 419 421 427 425 428 430 432
West Obligation + Reserves 3,573 3,592 3,608 3,643 3,661 3,708 3,693 3,719 3,734 3,752
West Position (5)1 (3)(2)(0)(2)(3)(4)1 0
West Reserve Margin 12.8%13.0%12.9%12.9%13.0%13.0%12.9%12.9%13.0%13.0%
System
Total Resources 10,747 10,868 10,954 10,719 10,812 10,930 10,993 11,108 11,227 11,328
Obligation 9,507 9,609 9,687 9,476 9,556 9,662 9,721 9,823 9,924 10,017
Reserves 1,236 1,249 1,259 1,232 1,242 1,256 1,264 1,277 1,290 1,302
Obligation + Reserves 10,743 10,858 10,946 10,708 10,798 10,918 10,985 11,100 11,214 11,319
System Position 4 10 8 11 14 12 8 8 13 9
Reserve Margin 13.0%13.1%13.1%13.1%13.1%13.1%13.1%13.1%13.1%13.1%
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 8 – MODELING RESULTS
229
Figure 8.28 – Current and Projected PacifiCorp Resource Capacity Mix for 2013 and 2022
Coal
52.9%
Gas
20.2%
Renewable *
1.5%
Existing
Purchases
1.7%
Class 2 DSM***
1.3%
Hydroelectric **
8.7%
Front Office
Transactions
7.9%
CHP & Other
0.0%Class 1 DSM +
Interruptibles
5.7%
2013 Resource Capacity Mix with Preferred Portfolio
Resources
* Renewable resources include wind, solar and geothermal. Wind capacity is reported as the peak load contribution.
** Hydroelectric resouces include owned, qualifying facilities and contract purchases.
*** The contribution of Class 2 DSM represents incremental acquisition of DSM resources over the planning period.
Coal
43.3%
Gas
25.3%
Renewable *
1.3%
Existing
Purchases
0.7%
Class 2 DSM***
5.8%
Hydroelectric **
6.8%
Front Office
Transactions
11.7%
CHP & Other
0.1%
Class 1 DSM +
Interruptibles
4.9%
2022 Resource Capacity Mix with Preferred Portfolio
Resources
* Renewable resources include wind, solar and geothermal. Wind capacity is reported as the peak load contribution.
** Hydroelectric resouces include owned, qualifying facilities and contract purchases.
*** The contribution of Class 2 DSM represents incremental acquisition of DSM resources over the planning period.
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 8 – MODELING RESULTS
230
Figure 8.29 – Current and Projected PacifiCorp Resource Energy Mix for 2013 and 2022
Coal
65.4%
Gas
9.5%
Renewable *
9.9%
Existing
Purchases
4.6%
Class 2 DSM***
1.4%
Hydroelectric**
7.0%
Front Office
Transactions
2.0%
CHP & Other
0.0%Class 1 DSM +
Interruptibles
0.2%
2013 Resource Energy Mix with Preferred Portfolio
Resources
* Renewable resources include wind, solar and geothermal.
** Hydroelectric resouces include owned, qualifying facilities and contract purchases.
*** The contribution of Class 2 DSM represents incremental acquisition of DSM resources over the planning period.
Coal
49.3%
Gas
24.6%
Renewable *
9.3%
Existing
Purchases
0.5%
Class 2 DSM***
7.0%
Hydroelectric**
5.2%
Front Office
Transactions
3.6%
CHP & Other
0.1%Class 1 DSM +
Interruptibles
0.2%
2022 Resource Energy Mix with Preferred Portfolio
Resources
* Renewable resources include wind, solar and geothermal.
** Hydroelectric resouces include owned, qualifying facilities and contract purchases.
*** The contribution of Class 2 DSM represents incremental acquisition of DSM resources over the planning period.
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 8 – MODELING RESULTS
231
Figure 8.30 – Addressing PacifiCorp’s Peak Capacity Deficit, 2013 through 2022
Figure 8.31 – Energy Contribution of the Preferred Portfolio Resources to Load Growth,
PacifiCorp System (2013-2022)
8,000
9,000
10,000
11,000
12,000
13,000
14,000
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Me
g
a
w
a
t
t
s
New Firm Market Purchases New - DSM + CHP + Wind + Solar **
Existing - Long Term Contracts and PPA's Lake Side II
Existing - Physical Assests and DSM ***Obligation + Reserves (includes Sales + Non-Owned Reserves) *
Existing -Physical Assets and DSM ***
Existing -Long Term Contracts and PPA's
New -DSM,CHP,and Solar **
New Firm Market Purchase
Obligation + Reserves *
* Includes 13% Planning Reserves, Sales and Non-Owned Reserves
** Solar resources peak contribution is 8 MW by 2022 and Combined Heat and Power (CHP) contributes 12 MW.
*** Includes retirements, turbine upgrades, and gas repower. DSM includes both Class 1 and 2.
2014 Lake Side 2 CCCT (under construction)
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 8 – MODELING RESULTS
232
Table 8.9 – Preferred Portfolio Demand Side Management Energy (2013-2022)
Preferred Portfolio Compliance with Renewable Portfolio Standard
Requirements
Figure 8.32 shows PacifiCorp’s forecasted RPS compliance positions for the California,
Oregon, and Washington78 programs, along with a federal RPS program scenario79, covering the
period 2013 through 2022 based on the preferred portfolio. Utah’s RPS goal is tied to a 2025
compliance date, so the 2013-2022 position is not shown below. However, PacifiCorp meets the
Utah 2025 state target of 20 percent based on eligible Utah RPS resources, and has significant
levels of banked RECs to sustain continued future compliance. PacifiCorp anticipates utilizing
flexible compliance mechanisms such as banking the use of unbundled RECs as allowed in each
state.
78 The Washington RPS requirement is tied to January 1st of the compliance year. 79 The assumed federal RPS requirements are applied to retail sales, with a target of 4.5 percent beginning in 2018,
7.1 percent in 2019-2020, 9.8 percent in 2021-2022, 12.4 percent in 2023-2024, and 20 percent in 2025.
Energy Efficiency Energy (MWh) Selected by State and Year
State 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
CA 4,850 4,980 5,500 5,450 5,560 4,680 4,450 4,300 4,730 4,890
OR 168,040 188,540 148,170 145,020 132,770 126,240 108,870 95,900 91,270 99,140
WA 38,200 36,600 36,430 36,740 36,520 30,640 30,530 28,520 28,330 28,630
UT 234,790 224,220 209,570 208,410 203,540 196,600 202,440 174,740 171,900 165,400
ID 10,690 11,090 11,470 12,010 13,540 13,060 14,560 13,770 14,350 14,740
WY 26,850 30,530 34,740 38,680 42,090 43,810 45,250 45,610 50,000 52,840
Total System 483,420 495,960 445,880 446,310 434,020 415,030 406,100 362,840 360,580 365,640
Cumulative 483,420 979,380 1,425,260 1,871,570 2,305,590 2,720,620 3,126,720 3,489,560 3,850,140 4,215,780
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 8 – MODELING RESULTS
233
Figure 8.32 Annual State and Federal RPS Position Forecasts using the Preferred
Portfolio
Preferred Portfolio Carbon Dioxide Emissions
Cumulative CO2 emissions by 2032 for the preferred portfolio under the three CO2 price
scenarios range from 819 million tons to 889 million tons. These emission quantities are
reported by the PaR model. Regarding CO2 emission reduction trends, near-term reductions are
driven by plant dispatch changes in response to assumed CO2 costs. In the longer term,
accumulated addition of energy efficiency programs, renewable resources, as well as new gas-
fired resources that fill resource needs with assumed end-of-life coal resource retirements
contribute to a downward trend in emission levels. Figure 8.33 illustrates the emission trends
for the preferred portfolio through 2032 under the zero, medium and high CO2 price scenarios.
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
GW
h
Oregon RPS Compliance Outcome
Unbundled REC Surrendered Bundled Bank Surrendered
Current Year Generation Surrendered Year-end Bundled Bank Balance
Year-end Unbundled REC Bank Balance Annual Requirement
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
GW
h
Washington RPS Compliance Outcome
Unbundled REC Surrendered Bundled Bank Surrendered
Current Year Generation Surrendered Year-end Bundled Bank Balance
Year-end Unbundled REC Bank Balance Annual Requirement
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
GW
h
California RPS Compliance Outcome
Unbundled REC Surrendered Bundled Bank Surrendered
Current Year Generation Surrendered Year-end Bundled Bank Balance
Year-end Unbundled REC Bank Balance Annual Requirement
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
GW
h
Federal RPS Compliance Outcome
Unbundled REC Surrendered Bundled Bank Surrendered
Current Year Generation Surrendered Year-end Bundled Bank Balance
Year-end Unbundled REC Bank Balance Annual Requirement
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 8 – MODELING RESULTS
234
Figure 8.33 – Carbon Dioxide Emission Trend
Sensitivity Analyses
System Optimizer Sensitivity Cases
As described in Chapter 7, sensitivity cases focus on changes to resource-specific assumptions
and alternative load growth forecasts. PacifiCorp developed 12 sensitivity cases aligned with
the themes used to develop core case portfolios. The sensitivity case themes cover load
sensitivities, targeted resource sensitivities, and environmental policy sensitivities, which are
described in Confidential Volume III of this IRP report. Sensitivity cases are variants from the
System Optimizer portfolios developed under core case definitions. Each sensitivity case was
completed under Energy Gateway Scenario 2.
Figure 8.34 shows the cumulative capacity additions by resource type for each of the sensitivity
case portfolios in 2032, the end of the 2013 IRP planning horizon. For comparison, portfolios
from core case C03 and the preferred portfolio C07a are also included in the figure. Table 8.10
lists the system costs from the System Optimizer model for each of the sensitivity cases, core
case C03, and the preferred portfolio (case C07a). The detailed portfolio resource tables are
included in Volume II, Appendix K, along with detailed System Optimizer PVRR results.
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 8 – MODELING RESULTS
235
Figure 8.34– Total Cumulative Capacity of Sensitivity Cases, 2032
Table 8.10 – PVRR of Sensitivity Cases and the Comparative Core Cases
Load Sensitivities (S01, S02, and S03)
PacifiCorp conducted three System Optimizer runs for three alternative load growth scenarios:
low load growth (case S01), high load growth (case S02), and 1-in-20 extreme system peak
scenario (case S03). Figures 8.35 and 8.36 show how coincident peak and system load forecasts
in these sensitivities compare to the base load forecast used to define core cases.
Case PVRR ($m)
C01 $31,237
C03 $31,584
Preferred Portfolio (C-07a)$27,347
S01 $30,656
S02 $33,129
S03 $31,978
S05 $31,237
S06 $31,485
S07 $31,603
S09 $38,996
S10 $31,586
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 8 – MODELING RESULTS
236
Figure 8.35 – Sensitivity Case Coincidental Peak Load Forecasts
Figure 8.36 – Sensitivity Case Load Forecasts
Under the low load forecast sensitivity, the 2024 CCCT that is in the preferred portfolio is
replaced with peaking gas resources added in 2025 and 2026. Similarly, a 2028 CCCT is
replaced with a peaking resource in 2029. Under the high load forecast sensitivity, incremental
FOTs and DSM meet higher loads through 2018 and a west side 203 MW frame peaking
resource is added to the portfolio in 2019. Under the 1-in-20 peak load forecast scenario, FOTs
and DSM fill higher capacity requirements through 2017. The portfolio adds a west side 197
MW frame peaking unit in 2018 and an east side 181 MW frame peaking unit in 2020. In the
out years (2028 and beyond), peaking units displace a 423 MW CCCT.
10,000
10,500
11,000
11,500
12,000
12,500
13,000
13,500
20
1
3
20
1
4
20
1
5
20
1
6
20
1
7
20
1
8
20
1
9
20
2
0
20
2
1
20
2
2
20
2
3
20
2
4
20
2
5
20
2
6
20
2
7
20
2
8
20
2
9
20
3
0
20
3
1
20
3
2
MW
Coincident System Peak Load
Low High 1 in 20 Base
60,000
65,000
70,000
75,000
80,000
85,000
20
1
3
20
1
4
20
1
5
20
1
6
20
1
7
20
1
8
20
1
9
20
2
0
20
2
1
20
2
2
20
2
3
20
2
4
20
2
5
20
2
6
20
2
7
20
2
8
20
2
9
20
3
0
20
3
1
20
3
2
GW
h
Load Forecast
Low High 1 in 20 Base
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 8 – MODELING RESULTS
237
Extension of PTC and ITC (S05 and S06)
For this group of sensitivity cases, federal production tax credits (PTCs) and investment tax
credits (ITCs) are extended through the end of 2019. Case S05 assumes no RPS requirements
and case S06 assumes both state and federal RPS requirements must be met.
Absent RPS assumptions, the extension of the PTC/ITC assumption leads to 144 MW of
Wyoming wind in in 2019 (the last year of the extension). With RPS requirements, 2019 wind
additions total 500 MW more than in the base case. Figures 8.37 and 8.38 show the addition of
wind resources in the two cases. Case S05 wind additions are shown alongside wind additions
in the reference case C01 portfolio, which similarly does not include RPS assumptions.
Figure 8.37 – Cumulative Wind Additions, No RPS
Figure 8.38 – Cumulative Wind Addition, with RPS
Endogenous Selection of Resources to Meet RPS Requirements (S07)
In this case, instead of using the RPS Scenario Maker model to select renewable resources
based on state-specific requirements, the resource selections needed to meet RPS requirements
were modeled endogenously in the System Optimizer model.
0
200
400
600
800
1,000
2013 2015 2017 2019 2021 2023 2025 2027 2029 2031
MW
C03 S06 (Extend PTC/ITC)
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 8 – MODELING RESULTS
238
Case S07 produced more renewable capacity at different times and in different locations, and
produced system costs that are approximately $20 million higher than those from case C03.
Because the System Optimizer model cannot capture state specific rules, none of the resources,
with the exception of the Oregon Geothermal PPA, selected in 2026 could satisfy the
Washington requirement that resources be in the Pacific Northwest.80 Moreover, there is no
objective way to assign generation from resources that were added to meet a “system” RPS
requirement back to the specific state to ensure that RPS compliance is achieved in each state.
Table 8.11 compares the renewable resources selected in case S07 with the ones selected by the
RPS Scenario Maker model for case C03.
Table 8.11 – Renewable Resources in Case S07 and Case C03
Renewable resource selected in S07:
Renewable resource selected in C03:
2013 Business Plan Portfolio (S08)
This sensitivity case was intended to test the impact of PacifiCorp’s 2013 Business Plan
resource portfolio in the 2013 IRP modeling environment. However, the changes and updates in
the System Optimizer model since the 2013 Business Plan study made it difficult to enforce and
merge the previously selected portfolio with the new model inputs. Specifically, Class 2 DSM
resources are configured in more detail as compared to what was used to develop the 2013
Business Plan portfolio. It is not practical to reconstruct the previous representation of DSM
resources in a way that is compatible with the current modeling system. Consequently,
PacifiCorp did not complete this sensitivity case for the 2013 IRP. For comparison purposes,
categories of resources in the 2013 Business Plan resource portfolio are shown in Table 8.12.
80 Legislation has since been passed in Washington that removes the Pacific Northwest geographic requirement.
However, the point remains valid, which is the System Optimizer model does not capture state-specific RPS rules
in selecting renewable resources needed to meet RPS requirements.
Resource Assigned 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 Total
WY Wind (40% CF)System 0 0 0 1 74 0 0 0 0 0 539 26 0 0 9 0 0 649
UT Wind (29% CF)System 0 18 12 0 0 0 0 0 16 0 74 0 0 0 0 7 72 199
UT Utility Scale Solar System 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 100 0 0 200
OR Geothermal PPA System 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 30 0 0 0 0 0 0 30
Total 100 18 12 1 74 0 0 0 16 0 643 26 0 0 109 7 72 1078
Resource Assigned 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 Total
WY Wind (40% CF)System 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 368 282 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 650
UT Wind (29% CF)System 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 22 22
ID Wind (29% CF)WA 73 34 33 14 0 0 45 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 204
Total 73 34 33 14 0 0 45 5 368 282 0 0 0 0 0 0 22 876
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239
Table 8.12 – 2013 Business Plan Resource Portfolio
Resurgence of Renewable Resources (S09)
This sensitivity was designed to target additional selection of renewable resources with high
natural gas price and high CO2 price assumptions while assuming PTCs and ITCs are extended
through 2019. As compared with sensitivity case S06, which shares the same input assumptions,
but for the use of medium natural gas price and CO2 prices, the case S09 portfolio did not
include additional renewable resources.
Class 3 DSM (S10)
For this sensitivity case, 15 MW of Class 3 DSM resources were added as potential resources in
addition to Class 1 DSM resource alternatives. Based on resource needs and economics, 10
MW of the potential Class 3 DSM resource were selected, primarily in 2027, 2031 and 2032,
with minimal impact on System Optimizer system costs.
Additional Analysis
Trigger Point Analysis
The Oregon Public Utility Commission (OPUC) guideline 8(c) requires the utility to identify at
least one portfolio of resources that is substantially different from the preferred portfolio that
can be compared on a risk and cost basis among a range of CO2 compliance scenarios. As
discussed earlier in this chapter, there are several portfolios evaluated across a range of CO2
emission compliance scenarios that yield extensive coal unit retirements. This includes
portfolios developed under cases C05, C09, C14 and C18. Table 8.13 below compares the
stochastic mean and risk-adjusted PVRR of these portfolios under Energy Gateway Scenario 2
to the preferred portfolio.
Capacity (MW)Resource Totals
Resource 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2013-2022
Coal Plant Turbine Upgrades 19 14 - - - - - - - - - 14
Gas - - 638 - - - - - - - - 638
Wind - - - - - - 100 100 100 100 - 400
Other Renewables / Solar 4 4 3 3 - - - - - - - 10
DSM, Class 1 - - - - - - - 1 100 - - 101
DSM, Class 2 101 86 90 95 93 90 95 97 100 104 110 960
Distributed Generation 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 52
Total Long Term Resources 130 109 736 104 98 95 201 202 305 210 115 2,174
Utah Capacity Purchase *200 200 - - 200 200 200 200 200 - - 120
East - Firm Market Purchases 62 - 92 51 88 72 130 246 300 81 143 120
West - Firm Market Purchases 1,055 918 875 1,078 1,029 1,168 1,217 1,217 1,217 1,217 1,217 1,115
Firm Market Purchases 1,317 1,118 967 1,128 1,318 1,440 1,546 1,662 1,717 1,297 1,360 1,355
Study includes Naughton 3 gas conversion in 2015
FOT in resource total are 10-year averages
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 8 – MODELING RESULTS
240
Table 8.13 – Comparison of Trigger Point Portfolios to the Preferred Portfolio
Zero CO2 Medium CO2 High CO2
Core Case
Increase in
Stochastic
Mean PVRR
Relative to
the Preferred
Portfolio
($b)
Increase in
Risk-adjusted
PVRR
Relative to
the Preferred
Portfolio
($b)
Increase in
Stochastic
Mean PVRR
Relative to
the Preferred
Portfolio
($b)
Increase in
Risk-adjusted
PVRR
Relative to
the Preferred
Portfolio
($b)
Increase in
Stochastic
Mean PVRR
Relative to
the Preferred
Portfolio
($b)
Increase in
Risk-adjusted
PVRR
Relative to
the Preferred
Portfolio
($b)
C05 3.17 7.17 2.54 7.97 1.42 9.06
C09 4.09 8.47 3.59 9.46 2.33 10.55
C14 2.68 5.88 2.03 6.53 0.97 7.53
C18 7.04 0.83 6.48 0.50 5.51 (0.25)
In each of these cases, the resulting portfolios were developed assuming either high or U.S. hard
cap CO2 price assumptions. Policy makers have not succeeded in passing federal greenhouse
gas legislation for consideration by the President. While the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) has proposed new source performance standards to regulate greenhouse gas
emissions from new sources, it has not finalized those standards, nor has it established a
schedule to promulgate rules applicable to existing sources. Concurrently, policy makers
continue to debate Federal budget deficits, and deep philosophical differences have thus far
proven to be a barrier to budgetary compromise. Given these considerations, the Company does
not believe greenhouse gas policies or regulations will be mandated at the levels and on a
schedule that contributed to the extensive level of early coal unit retirements and gas
conversions observed in the cases summarized in the table above.
Oregon Greenhouse Gas Goals
The OPUC guideline 8(d) requires that a portfolio be constructed that meets state of Oregon
energy policies, including state goals for reducing greenhouse emissions. Several of the
portfolios developed in this IRP fall below the Oregon goal stated in House Bill 3543 (10
percent below 1990 emission levels by 2020). For PacifiCorp’s system, the 1990 emission level
was 49.88 million short tons, and 10 percent below this level is 44.89 million short tons. Table
8.13 compares the preferred portfolio with portfolios developed for Energy Gateway Scenario 2
that are in compliance with the emission reduction goal in Oregon.
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Table 8.13 – Cost/Risk Comparison of Compliance Portfolios and the Preferred Portfolio,
with Medium CO2 Prices
Stochastic Mean Upper Tail Mean Emissions in 2020
Case PVRR PVRR Thousands of Ton
EG1-C04 33,507 46,307 34,868
EG1-C05 34,035 46,056 34,695
EG1-C08 34,378 48,397 26,999
EG1-C09 35,009 48,382 26,852
EG1-C14 33,401 44,056 36,811
EG2-C04 33,554 46,234 34,955
EG2-C05 33,898 45,965 34,802
EG2-C07a 31,357 35,452 48,124
EG2-C08 34,548 48,357 27,273
EG2-C09 34,944 48,502 27,239
EG2-C14 33,384 44,013 36,934
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 8 – MODELING RESULTS
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PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 9 – ACTION PLAN
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CHAPTER 9 – ACTION PLAN
CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS
The 2013 IRP action plan identifies steps to be taken during the next two to four
years to implement the IRP. The preferred portfolio reflects a snapshot view of the
future that accounts for a wide range of uncertainties, and is not intended as a
procurement commitment.
Achieve renewable compliance with unbundled renewable energy credit purchases.
Manage the expanded Utah Solar Incentive Program to encourage the installation of
the entire approved capacity.
Acquire economic front office transactions or power purchase agreements as
needed through the summer of 2017
Continue to pursue the Energy Imbalance Market activities in California and the
Northwest Power Pool
Manage and improve the longer term natural gas hedging process and products, and
continue to work with stakeholders.
Acquire up to 1,425 – 1,876 GWh of cost effective Class 2 energy efficiency by the
end of 2015 and 2,034 – 3,180 GWh by the end of 2017.
Develop a pilot program in Oregon for Class 3 time-of-use program as an
alternative approach to Class 1 irrigation load control program for managing
irrigation load in the west.
Continue to permit and develop the Naughton Unit 3 natural gas conversion project.
Complete the installation of the baghouse conversion and NOX burner compliance
projects at Hunter Unit 1 as required by the end of 2014.
Complete the installation of selective catalytic reduction compliance projects at Jim
Bridger Unit 3 and Jim Bridger Unit 4.
Evaluate alternative compliance strategies that will meet Regional Haze compliance
obligations for Cholla Unit 4.
Establish a stakeholder group process to review the System Operational and
Reliability Benefits Tool (SBT).
Complete the Sigurd to Red Butte 345kV transmission line according to the
construction plan.
Evaluate through the resource acquisition paths, the fundamentals-based shifts in
environmental policy, enactment of regulatory policies, and different load
trajectories.
Continue to use competitive solicitation processes and pursue opportunistic
acquisitions identified outside of a competitive procurement process that provide
clear economic benefits to customers.
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Introduction
PacifiCorp’s 2013 IRP action plan identifies the steps the Company will take during the next two
to four years to implement the plan that covers the 10 year resource acquisition time frame,
2013-2022. Associated with the action plan is an acquisition path analysis that anticipates
potential major regulatory actions and other trigger events during the action plan time horizon
that could materially impact resource acquisition strategies.
The resources included in the 2013 IRP preferred portfolio were used to help define the actions
included in the action plan, focusing on the size, timing and type of resources needed to meet
load obligations, and current and potential future state regulatory requirements. The preferred
portfolio resource combination was determined to be the lowest cost on a risk-adjusted basis
accounting for cost, risk, reliability, regulatory uncertainty and the long-run public interest.
The 2013 IRP action plan is based upon the latest and most accurate information available at the
time of portfolio study. The Company recognizes that the preferred portfolio upon which the
action plan is based reflects a snapshot view of the future that accounts for a wide range of
uncertainties.
Resource information used in the 2013 IRP, such as capital and operating costs, incorporate the
Company’s most up to date cost information. However, it is important to recognize that the
resources identified in the plan are proxy resources and act as a guide for resource procurement
and not as a commitment. Resources evaluated as part of procurement initiatives may vary from
the proxy resource identified in the plan with respect to resource type, timing, size, cost and
location. Evaluations will be conducted at the time of acquiring any resource to justify such
acquisition, and the evaluations will comply with then-current laws, regulatory rules and orders.
In addition to the action plan, progress on the prior action plan, and the acquisition path analysis,
this chapter covers the following topics:
Procurement delays
IRP Action Plan linkage to the business plan
Resource Procurement Strategy
Assessment of owning assets vs. purchasing power
Managing carbon risk for existing plants
Purpose of hedging
The treatment of customer and investor risks for resource planning
The Integrated Resource Plan Action Plan
The 2013 IRP action plan, detailed in Table 9.1, provides the Company with a road map for
moving forward with new resource acquisitions.
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 9 –ACTION PLAN
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The 2013 IRP Action Plan
The 2013 IRP Action Plan identifies specific actions the Company will take over the next two to four years. Action items are based on
the type and timing of resources in the preferred portfolio, findings from analysis completed over the course of portfolio modeling, and
feedback received by stakeholders in the 2013 IRP process. Table 9.1 details specific 2013 IRP action items by category.
Table 9.1 – 2013 IRP Action Plan
Update the wind integration study for the 2015 IRP. The updated wind integration study will consider the
implications of an energy imbalance market along with comments and feedback from the technical review committee
and IRP stakeholders provided during the 2012 Wind Integration Study.
With renewable portfolio standard (RPS) compliance achieved with unbundled renewable energy credit (REC)
purchases, the preferred portfolio does not include incremental renewable resources prior to 2024. Given that the
REC market lacks liquidity and depth beyond one year forward, the Company will pursue unbundled REC requests
for proposal (RFP) to meet its state RPS compliance requirements.
– Issue at least annually, RFPs seeking then current-year or forward-year vintage unbundled RECs that will
qualify in meeting Washington renewable portfolio standard obligations.
– Issue at least annually, RFPs seeking historical, then current-year, or forward-year vintage unbundled RECs
that will qualify for Oregon renewable portfolio standard obligations. As part of the solicitation and bid
evaluation process, evaluate the tradeoffs between acquiring bankable RECs early as a means to mitigate
potentially higher cost long-term compliance alternatives.
– Issue at least annually, RFPs seeking then current-year or forward-year vintage unbundled RECs that will
qualify for California renewable portfolio standard obligations.
On a quarterly basis, issue reverse RFPs to sell RECs not required to meet state RPS compliance obligations.
Issue an RFP in the second quarter of 2013 soliciting Oregon solar photovoltaic resources to meet the Oregon small
solar compliance obligation (Oregon House Bill 3039). Coordinate the selection process with the Energy Trust of
Oregon to seek 2014 project funding. Complete evaluation of proposals and select potential winning bids in the
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 9 – ACTION PLAN
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1e.
Capacity Contribution
Action
Item 13. Distributed Generation Actions
2a.
Distributed Solar
2b.
Combined Heat & Power (CHP)
opportunities that will: (1) assess the existing, proposed, and potential generation sites on PacifiCorp’s system; (2)
Action
Item 14. Firm Market Purchase Actions
3a.
Front Office Transactions
–
–
Action
Item 15. Flexible Resource Actions
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 9 –ACTION PLAN
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4a.
Energy Imbalance Market (EIM)
Action
Item 16. Hedging Actions
5a.
Natural Gas Request for Proposal
Convene a workshop for stakeholders by October 2013 to discuss potential changes to the Company’s process in
Action
Item 17. Plant Efficiency Improvement Actions
6a.
Plant Efficiency Improvements
–
– state “total resource cost test” evaluation
–
Company’s recommended approach to analyzing cost effective production efficiency resources in the 2015 IRP.
Action
Item 18. Demand Side Management (DSM) Actions
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 9 – ACTION PLAN
248
7a.
Class 2 DSM
–
–
–
–
st rd
th st
th nd
–
–
– Increase acquisitions from business customers through prescriptive measures by expanding the “Trade Ally
Network”.
rd th
– st
– tiveness of “express” or “typical” measure offerings by increasing qualifying
st rd
th st
th nd
–
nd th
rd rd
–
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 9 –ACTION PLAN
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Expand offering of “bundled” measure incentives by the end of 2013.
st
nd st
rd
nd
–
–rd
–
–
–
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 9 – ACTION PLAN
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7b.
Class 3 DSM
Action
Item 19. Coal Resource Actions
8a.
Naughton Unit 3
8b.
Hunter Unit 1
X
8c.
Jim Bridger Units 3 and 4
8d.
Cholla Unit 4
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Federal Implementation Plan requirements to install SCR equipment at
Action
Item 20. Transmission Actions
9a.
System Operational and Reliability Benefits Tool (SBT)
–
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 9 –ACTION PLAN
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–
9b.
Energy Gateway Permitting
–
–
–
–
9c. Sigurd to Red Butte 345 kilovolt Transmission Line
Action
Item 21. Planning Reserve Margin Actions
10a.
Planning Reserve Margin
Action
Item 22. Planning and Modeling Process Improvement Actions
11a.
Modeling and Process
11b.
Cost/Benefit Analysis of DSM Resource Alternatives
PACIFICORP - 2013 IRP CHAPTER 9 –ACTION PLAN CHAPTER 1 – EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
252
Progress on Previous Action Plan Items
This section describes progress that has been made on previous active action plan items
documented in the 2011 Integrated Resource Plan Update report filed with the state commissions
on March 31, 2011. Many of these action items have been superseded in some form by items
identified in the current IRP action plan.
Action Item 1: Renewable / Distributed Generation 2021-2020
Acquire up to 800 MW of wind resources by 2020, dictated by regulatory and market
developments such as (1) renewable/clean energy standards; (2) carbon regulations; (3)
federal tax incentives; (4) economics; (5) natural gas price forecasts; (6) regulatory
support for investments necessary to integrate variable energy resources (VERs); and (7)
transmission developments. The 800 MW level is supported by consideration of
regulatory compliance risks and public policy interest in clean energy resources.
In the 2013 IRP, PacifiCorp will track and report the statistics used to calculate capacity
contribution from its wind resources as a means of testing the validity of the PLCC
method.
Future IRP cycles will include a projection for wind acquisition with and without
geothermal until a clearer picture emerges regarding geothermal dry hole risk.
The Company will continue to refine the wind integration modeling approach; establish a
technical review committee (TRC) and a schedule and project plan for the next wind
integration study. The TRC will be formed and members identified within 30 days of the
effective date of the IRP Order. Within 30 days of the effective date of the IRP Order, a
schedule for the study will be established, including full opportunity for stakeholder
involvement and progress reviews by the TRC that will allow the final study to be
submitted with the next IRP.
The Company identified over 100 MW of geothermal resources as part of a least-cost
resource portfolio. Continue to refine resource potential estimates and update resource
costs in 2011-2012 for further economic evaluation of resource opportunities.
Continue to explicitly include geothermal projects as eligible resources in future all-
source RFPs.
Evaluate procurement of Oregon solar photovoltaic resources in 2012 via the Company’s
solar RFP.
Acquire additional Oregon solar resource through RFPs or other means in order to meet
the Company’s 8.7 MW compliance obligation
Work with Utah parties to investigate solar program design and deployment issues and
opportunities in late 2011 and 2012, using the Company’s own analysis of Wasatch Front
roof top solar potential and experience with the Oregon solar pilot program. As
recommended in the Company’s response to comments under Docket No. 07-035-T14,
the Company requested that the Utah Commission establish “a process in the fall of 2011
to determine whether a continued or expanded solar program in Utah is appropriate and
how that program might be structured.” (Rocky Mountain Power, “Re: Docket No. 07-
035-T14 – Three year assessment of the Solar Incentive Program”, December 15, 2010).
Investigate, and pursue if cost-effective from an implementation standpoint,
commercial/residential solar water heating programs.
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Pursue opportunities for acquiring biomass CHP resources, primarily through the PURPA
Qualifying Facility contracting process.
Proceed with an energy storage demonstration project, subject to Utah Commission
approval of the Company’s proposal to defer and recover expenditures through the DSM
surcharge.
Initiate a consultant study in 2011 on incremental capacity value and ancillary service
benefits of energy storage.
Conduct a study of grid flexibility for accommodating variable energy resources (VER)
as part of the next IRP filing.
Develop and refine strategies for renewable portfolio standard compliance in California
and Washington.
PacifiCorp will expand the next IRP to include discussion of RPS compliance strategies
and the role of REC sales and purchases. The Company will be selective in its discussion
to avoid conflict between the IRP, RPS Implementation Plan and RPS Compliance
Report.
Status
The Company acquired 160 MW of renewable resources between 2010 and 2012. With the
decrease in natural gas prices, lower power prices, lack of load and changes in the expectation
for the extension of the federal tax incentives, incremental wind in the current preferred portfolio
first appears in 2024 and is driven by renewable portfolio requirements. The renewable portfolio
standard requirements will be met by purchasing renewable energy credits in the market
consistent with the preferred portfolio and Action Item 1b in the 2013 IRP Action Plan.
Using historical wind generation data from wind resources in the PacifiCorp system, the
Company completed a study evaluating how much wind capacity has historically been available
during peak load conditions. This analysis has been used to update the Company’s capacity
contribution assumptions for wind resources as summarized in Volume II, Appendix O of the
2013 IRP.
Case C-16 in the 2013 IRP is one of five core cases in the “Targeted Resources” theme (Cases C-
15 through C-18) which evaluates meeting renewable portfolio standards using available
geothermal resources, modeled as a power purchase agreement, before using other RPS-eligible
renewable technologies. These cases are characterized by alternative assumptions for specific
resource types to understand how those assumptions influence resource portfolios, costs and
stochastic risk.
For its 2012 Wind Integration Study, PacifiCorp established a technical review committee
(TRC). The TRC members were selected based on their experience and background in the field
of the wind integration study and regulatory requirements. PacifiCorp held several meetings
with the TRC to review the detailed calculations of reserve requirements to integrate wind
resources in its balancing authority areas. The six TRC members’ biographies and the wind
integration study’s schedule are posted on PacifiCorp’s IRP website. The TRC will provide their
report of the wind study in early May 2013 and the Company will file the report within 30 days
of the receiving it.
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A Geothermal Information Request report (public version) was posted to the IRP website and
IRP participants were notified on June 28, 2012. Geothermal resources were explicitly included
in the All Source request for proposal (RFP) for 2016 resources, which was subsequently
terminated. In addition, geothermal power purchases approximated based on information
received from the 2016 All Source RFP were included as proxy resources in the supply side table
in Volume I, Chapter 6 of the 2013 IRP.
As a result of the 2010S request for proposals, the Company acquired the Black Cap Solar
Facility which is located on 20 acres a few miles west of Lakeview, Oregon. Ideally situated on
the sunny side of the Cascade Range, the two-megawatt facility is equipped with a sophisticated
tracking system that optimizes the sun’s power. Lakeview is in Oregon’s High Desert and sits at
an elevation of 4,800 feet. The valley opens to the south and enjoys more than 300 days of
sunshine a year. Black Cap started generating electricity for customers in October 2012 and will
produce approximately 4,500 megawatt-hours of electricity each year – comparable to the energy
needed to serve 400 average homes annually. The Company will apply the experience gained
through the project in its next request for proposals.
A request for proposals will be issued in the second quarter of 2013 to acquire further Oregon
solar resources as identified in the 2103 IRP Action Item 1d.
On October 1, 2012, the Utah Public Service Commission approved a large expansion of the
Utah Solar Incentive Program in Docket 11-03-104. The program will incentivize the installation
of 60 MW of distributed solar generation in systems sized one MW and below over the next five
years. The program began accepting applications on January 15, 2013.
The final Cadmus memo provided to the public on October 31, 2012 provides updated supply
curves for commercial/residential solar water heating programs which were used in the 2013
IRP.
The Company continues to pursue resources through PURPA Qualifying Facility contracting
process. The 2013 IRP Action item 2b will assess the opportunities and provide a market
analysis for acquiring biomass CHP resources in the 2013 IRP Update.
The energy storage demonstration project progressed to the point of testing the five kilowatt-
hour electrostatic generator at moderated speed in a partially integrated prototype. At this speed
the actual resonances encountered closely matched theoretical models. By the end of 2012 the
prototype was being transported to a higher speed spin pit to test the output voltages produced in
generation mode. The energy storage demonstration development and demonstrated report was
sent to the public in May 2012. Due to lack of supplier funding, in 2013 this project is no longer
being pursued by PacifiCorp.
A consultant study was initiated in 2011 on incremental capacity value and ancillary service
benefits of energy storage. HDR Engineering (HDR) was retained by PacifiCorp to perform an
Energy Storage Study to evaluate a portfolio of energy storage options. The scope of the study
was to develop a current catalog of commercially available and emerging large, utility-scale and
distribution scale energy storage technologies as well as define respective applications,
performance characteristics and estimated capital and operating costs for each technology. The
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results are documented in the December 2011 report that was sent to the public on September 4,
2012. The report can be found at the following website:
http://www.pacificorp.com/content/dam/pacificorp/doc/Energy_Sources/Integrated_Resource_Pl
an/2013IRP/Report_Energy-Storage-Screening-Study2012.pdf
A study was completed for a needs assessment of PacifiCorp’s flexible resources to meet its
reserve requirements, which is in Volume II, Appendix F.
In this IRP, the development and refinement for RPS compliance in California and Washington
and the RPS compliance strategies and the role of REC sales and purchases are outlined in
Volume I, Chapters 3, 7, and 8. This action item has been superseded by Action Item 1b in Table
9.1.
Action Item 2: Intermediate/ Base-load Thermal Supply-side Resources 2014-
2016
Acquire a combined-cycle combustion turbine (CCCT) resource at the Lake Side site in
Utah by the summer of 2014; the plant is proposed to be constructed by CH2M Hill
E&C, Inc. (“CH2M Hill”) under the terms of an engineering, procurement, and
construction (EPC) contract. This resource corresponds to the 2014 CCCT proxy resource
included in the 2011 IRP preferred portfolio.
PacifiCorp will reexamine the timing and type of post-2014 gas resources and other
resource changes as part of the 2011 business planning process and preparation of the
2011 IRP Update. The reexamination will include documentation of capital cost and
operating cost tradeoffs between resource types.
Consider siting additional gas-fired resources in locations other than Utah. Investigate
resource availability issues including water availability, permitting, transmission
constraints, access to natural gas, and potential impacts of elevation.
Issue an all-source RFP in early 2012 for potential acquisition of
peaking/intermediate/baseload resources by the summer of 2016 to fill any remaining
resource need indicated by an updated load and resource balance reflecting the results of
DSM request for proposals, acquisition of front office transactions, reserve margin
sensitivity analysis, and other relevant information.
Status
Lake Side 2 project remains on schedule and is within budgeted costs to meet an online date of
June 2014. The All Source RFP was issued in January 2012 for a 2016 resources. However, the
RFP was later terminated. The need for post-2014 gas resource(s) is delayed until 2024 based on
a needs assessment study that PacifiCorp completed as part of the justification in the termination
of the All Source RFP in September 2012. The timing of this resource is consistent with the 2013
IRP preferred portfolio. A cost comparison of different gas resources was thus unnecessary due
to lack of resource need.
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256
Action Item 3: Firm Market Purchases 2011-2020
Acquire economic front office transactions or power purchase agreements as needed
through summer 2016. Resources will be procured through multiple means, such as
periodic mini-RFPs that seek resources less than five years in term, and bilateral
negotiations.
Closely monitor the near-term and long-term need for front office transactions and adjust
planned acquisitions as appropriate based on market conditions, resource costs, and load
expectations. Actively search for market options that could cost-effectively defer
acquisition or construction of a 2016 CCCT resource.
Status
A market RFP was issued in March 2012 which resulted in the acquisition of 125 MW for 2013,
100 MW for 2014, 100 MW for 2015 and 100 MW for 2016 on the east side of the system. Due
to the change in the load forecast and reduced resource needs from the needs assessment in the
All Source RFP process, no additional front office transactions or power purchases were
acquired through the summer of 2016. This action item has been superseded by Action Item 3a
in Table 9.1.
Action Item 4: Plant Efficiency Improvements 2011-2020
Continue to pursue economic plant upgrade projects—such as turbine system
improvements and retrofits—and unit availability improvements to lower operating costs
and help meet the Company’s future CO2 and other environmental compliance
requirements.
Successfully complete the dense-pack coal plant turbine upgrade projects scheduled for
2011 and 2012, totaling 33 MW, subject to economics. The 2012 10-year plan includes
13.8 MW capacity increase in 2013.
Seek to meet the Company’s updated aggregate coal plant net heat rate improvement goal
of 478 British thermal unit per kilowatt-hour (Btu/kWh) by 2019. (PacifiCorp Energy
Heat Rate Improvement Plan, April 2010).
Continue to monitor turbine and other equipment technologies for cost-effective upgrade
opportunities tied to future plant maintenance schedules.
For the next IRP complete a study of cost-effective and reliable production efficiency
opportunities at generating facilities (station load reduction opportunities not currently
being captured in the IRP) where the Company has sole ownership of the facility. The
resource opportunities identified will be modeled against competing demand and supply-
side resources in the next IRP. Those selected will be targeted for completion by 2015
provided plant outages are not required.
Status
An ongoing effort to identify promising new potential plant/unit improvement opportunities has
been completed through the normal course of business. The effort includes the identification and
reporting of heat rate improvement opportunities and future project plans. Along with monitoring
turbine and other equipment technologies as above, this item will now also be tracking the
aggregate coal plant net heat rate improvement goals. This action item will continue annually.
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The identified projects will be documented within the annual Heat Rate Improvement Plan, or
HRIP, and will be posted on the IRP website. The HRIP report includes a 10 year forecast of
major projects intended to modify the unit design heat rate of the Company’s coal fired plants.
This action item has been superseded by Action Item 6a in Table 9.1.
Action Item 5: Class 1 DSM 2011-2020
Acquire at least 140 MW of incremental cost-effective DSM resource by 2013 and up to
250 MW by 2015.
Finalize an agreement for the commercial curtailment product (which includes customer-
owned standby generation opportunities). If cost effective, the company will file for
approval by the 3rd quarter of 2012.
Complete an analysis of the economic feasibility of Class 1 irrigation load control in the
west by the second quarter of 2012. If the analysis suggests Class 1 irrigation load
control is economic in the west, the Company will source delivery of a program through a
request for proposals concurrent with the re-sourcing of Class 1 irrigation load control
program delivery in the east by the third quarter of 2012.
Issue a request for proposal in 2012 to re-procure the delivery of the Cool Keeper
program following the 2013 control season. For the request for proposal, the Company
will seek market approaches acceptable to Utah regulators to expand the program beyond
its current level beginning in 2014.
Status
There were no incremental Class 1 DSM resources added in 2011 or 2012 as a result of the
Company’s revised load forecast and deferral of need for a 2016 resource. The Company
canceled the commercial curtailment product due to the revised/lowered load forecast that also
contributed to the cancelation of the All Source Request for Proposals.
The Company completed an analysis of the feasibility and costs of west-side Class 1 irrigation
control and collected costs through a 2012 request for proposal. Despite finding the resource
reasonably viable, it was not selected as an economic resource in the first ten years of the 2013
IRP preferred portfolio (see action item 7b).
An RFP was issued in January 2013 to re-procure the delivery of Utah’s Cool Keeper air
conditioner load management program. Provisions in the RFP will allow for program expansion
as conditions warrant.
Action Item 6: Class 2 DSM 2011-2020
Apply the 2011 IRP conservation analysis as the basis for the Company’s next
Washington I-937 conservation target setting submittal to the Washington Utilities and
Transportation Commission for the 2012-2013 biennium. The Company may refine the
conservation analysis and update the conservation forecast and biennial target as
appropriate prior to submittal based on final avoided cost decrement analysis and other
new information.
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258
Acquire at least 900 MW and up to 1,800 MW of cost-effective Class 2 programs by
2020, equivalent to at least 4,533 GWh and up to 9,066 GWh. Acquire at least 520 MW
and up to 1000 MW of cost-effective Class 2 DSM by 2016.
Adjusted to reflect 2011 IRP’s initial MW contribution from Class 2 resources
expected to be acquired in Oregon (reduces the MW contribution from Oregon
from 562 MWs by 2020 to 283 MWs, a 279 MW reduction)
By 1st quarter of 2012 file a residential home residential home comparison report
program in Utah and Washington, and investigate broader applications by the end of
2014 that can be implemented by 2016.
By 3rd quarter 2012 the Company will submit for commission approval a plan to acquire
energy efficiency resources from the Company’s Special Contract customers in Utah and
Idaho that can be reliably verified and delivered by 2016, and will pursue those resources
provided the Commissions in those states approve a cost-recovery mechanism for the
plan.
By 1st quarter 2012 issue a system-wide RFP (excluding Oregon) for specific direct
install and other direct distribution programs targeting savings from the residential and
small commercial sectors that can be delivered beginning in 2013. The Company will
seek to acquire all cost-effective resources that are available from the request for
proposal. The cost effectiveness analysis will consider any adverse impact on the
existing DSM programs. The results of the RFP will be known prior to the Company
seeking acknowledgement of the final short list for the all-source RFP. The Company
will promptly file for commission approvals to implement the cost-effective programs.
For the next IRP, prior to beginning modeling and screening of DSM, and as part of the
public input process, provide an analysis of alternatives to the current supply curve
bundling and ramping methods for modeling energy efficiency measures.
By the end of 2012 provide an analysis of the sufficiency of current staffing levels to
achieve programmatic cost effective energy efficiency targets established in this plan.
Leverage the distribution energy efficiency analysis of 19 distribution feeders in
Washington (conducted for PacifiCorp by Commonwealth Associates, Inc.) for analysis
of potential distribution energy efficiency in other areas of PacifiCorp’s system provided
the Company receives approval by the appropriate Commission for recovery of the study
cost through the demand-side customer efficiency surcharge. (The Washington
distribution energy efficiency study final report was completed December 26, 2011.)
-- Include in the 2013 IRP a detailed plan and schedule to implement cost-effective
Conservation Voltage Reduction (CVR) in each state as approved by the state.
By the end of 2013 perform a high-level screening of the remaining 60 percent of its
distribution circuits in each of the states to identify circuits where cost-effective energy
savings appear viable and detailed circuit study is warranted provided the Company
receives approval by the appropriate state commission for recovery of the study cost
through the demand-side customer efficiency surcharge.
In the 2013 IRP include the results of the CVR evaluation to date.
Status
The Company filed its Washington Initiative 937 10 year conservative forecast and 2012-2013
biennial targets with the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission on January 31.
2012.
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The Company exceeded its 2011 and 2012 Class 2 DSM acquisition goals by 242,438 megawatt-
hours (MWh) (29 percent), achieving 1,087,747 MWh against the goal amount of 845,036 MWh.
The Company proposed offering residential home comparison report programs in Utah and
Washington in April, 2012, and after regulatory discussions implemented the report program in
August, 2012.
In addition, the Company is actively working with the Energy Trust of Oregon on a pilot
program to be offered to PacifiCorp customers in 2013 and 2014. The acquisition of energy
efficiency resources from special contract customers was discussed with the Utah DSM Advisory
Steering Group in 2013. The steering group recommended the issue be a subject of the next
contract negotiations with the special contract customers.
The Company issued a system-wide RFP (excluding Oregon) for specific direct install and other
direct distribution programs targeting savings from residential and small commercial sectors in
March, 2012. Full processing of the RFP proposals was put on “hold” following the Company’s
revised load forecast and cancellation of 2012 All Source RFP pending the results of the 2013
IRP. The Company intends to complete the processing of the proposal’s received for
implementation in fourth quarter of 2013.
As part of the modeling and screening of the DSM the Company has disaggregated and narrowed
price bundles. Documentation on ramping and supply curve methods was provided to
stakeholders. A review of staffing levels to achieve programmatic cost effective energy
efficiency targets in the 2013 IRP has been completed. Volume II, Appendix D (Demand-Side
Management and Supplemental Resources) provides the Energy Efficiency ramp rates, the DSM
potential study and other demand side management studies.
Prior to the end of 2012 no approval had been provided by the major states to conduct detailed
analysis for CVR. The high level screening has been completed. The 2013 IRP details for the
implantation of CVR projects in Washington have been provided based on the results of Tier 1
and 2 studies. This action item has been superseded by Action Item 7a in Table 9.1.
Action Item 7: Class 3 DSM 2011-2020
During 2012 update the Conservation Potential Assessment to more accurately reflect
Class 1 and 3 DSM resource opportunities in regards to 1) market and regulatory
capabilities and climates in each state, 2) interactions within and between Class 1 and
Class 3 resource potentials identified, and 3) the impact of existing Class 3 programs on
product potential.
During 2012 have a third-party consultant review and prepare a report on how other
utilities treat price-responsive products in their resource planning process (for example,
as an adjustment to their load forecast and/or as a firm planning resource), and prepare a
recommendation on how the Company might apply contributions from price products to
help defer investments in other resource options cost-effectively.
For the 2013 IRP provide a sensitivity analysis, similar to portfolio development Case 31
in the 2011 IRP, that more accurately reflects incremental Class 3 product opportunities
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(incremental to Class 1 products, other Class 3 products, and to existing impacts of Class
3 products the Company is already running).
Implement in Utah and Washington (subject to regulatory approvals) residential
information pilots to test the effects of providing customers greater amounts of usage
information on the quantity of electricity they consume. The pilots will leverage the
existing Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) metering currently available in these states.
Pilots will consist of three test groups each receiving varying levels of usage information:
o Group 1 – Home comparison reports and energy conservation suggestions.
o Group 2 – Daily usage data through Home Energy Monitoring software (key
component to pricing products)
o Group 3 – Home comparison reports, energy savings suggestions, and daily usage
data through Home Energy Monitoring software
Pilots will be implemented in 2012, run throughout 2013, and an analysis and
recommendations prepared in 2014, prior to the development of the 2015 IRP.
If the analysis of Class 1 irrigation load control in the west (see action item 5) indicates
that such programs are non-economic, investigate, through a pilot program in Oregon a
Class 3 irrigation time-of-use program as an alternative approach for managing irrigation
loads in the west.
Status
The 2012 Conservation Potential Assessment work was expanded to provide a greater
assessment of opportunities, interactions and impacts of Class 1 and 3 program potentials,
including the impacts of the Company’s existing Class 3 products. The report also undertook an
assessment of how other utilities treat demand response resources in their integrated resource
planning processes. This assessment was distributed to stakeholders in September 2012. The
2012 Conservation Potential Assessment is included in Appendix D. A memo summarizing
Cadmus findings regarding treatment of price responsive projects by 23 other utilities in their
IRPs was distributed to PacifiCorp IRP public stakeholders in September. Cadmus key findings
included the following:
1) Like PacifiCorp, most utilities surveyed (13 of the 23) account for existing time-
of use (TOU) program impacts directly in their load forecast. Only PacifiCorp and
two Missouri utilities directly complete incremental price-responsive programs
opportunities with other resources options in IRP models.
2) Five of the 23 utilities surveyed did not account for incremental TOU programs in
their IRPs at all, due to no expected program growth or limited participation
programs that are too small to warrant load adjustments.
3) Only PacifiCorp and two other utilities delineate program impacts from event
driven pricing programs (e.g., critical peak pricing and demand bidding).
Sensitivity case S-10 in the 2013 IRP provides an analysis that reflects incremental Class 3
products (incremental to Class 1, other Class 3 products, and to existing impacts of Class 3
products the Company is already running).
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The implementation of residential information pilots in conjunction with the Home Energy
Report programs in Utah and Washington were deemed to be too small to return statistically
relevant results and expanding group size was determined cost prohibitive for the value of the
information to be obtained. Based on other utility experiences with Home Energy Report
programs (and their supporting program evaluations), its believed information on varying levels
of information on customer behavior and savings can be obtained through running variations of
the existing Group 1 program (standard Home Energy Report program) and from learning’s from
the impact the evaluations of other utility programs running such variations.
Because the Oregon Class 1 irrigation load control in the west was not selected as economic in
the first ten years of the 2013 IRP preferred portfolio, the Company will investigate through an
Oregon Class 3 irrigation time of use pilot program as an alternative for managing irrigation
loads in the west – See Action Item 7b in Table 9.1.
Action Item 8: Planning Process Improvements Process Improvement
Incorporate plug-in electric vehicles and Smart Grid technologies as a discussion topic
for the next IRP.
Status
A presentation and question and answer session on PacifiCorp’s Smart Grid evaluation and
implementation efforts was given to the IRP public stakeholder meeting in December 2012. This
action item has been superseded by Action Item 11a in Table 9.1.
Action Item 9: Coal Resource Actions
The Company will host a technical workshop for stakeholders and the [Oregon]
commissioners on February 17, 2012, respectively, for stakeholders that have a
confidentiality agreement in place. At the technical workshop, the Company will review
with stakeholders the methodology, assumptions and recently completed analysis of
upcoming Naughton Unit 3 emission control investments. The Naughton Unit 3 analysis
will be provided to stakeholders, subject to confidentiality agreements, as soon as
practicable. At the technical workshop, the Company will present the methodology,
assumptions and results of a Coal Replacement Study screening analysis performed for
Jim Bridger 3, Jim Bridger 4, and Hunter 1 at a minimum. The Company will complete
the analysis on as many other units as possible within the time constraints. The Company
will also present information pertaining to planned investments in the Craig and Hayden
facilities of which the Company has ownership share but does not have operational
responsibilities. The screening analysis will be performed using a spreadsheet model that
assumes a gas-fired CCCT, scaled to the size of the coal unit being analyzed, replaces the
coal unit in 2015. The screening analysis will include line-item results showing annual
capital costs and fixed and variable operating costs for each coal unit and the replacement
CCCT resource. The screening analysis will be performed on three different market
scenarios pairing varying levels of natural gas prices and CO2 costs. At least one
scenario will include a low gas/high CO2 pairing. The screening analysis will report a
rank order of the nominal levelized net PVRR benefit/cost on a per kW-month basis for
each scenario. The Company will make available to stakeholders that have signed
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appropriate confidentiality agreements the assumptions and results of the screening Study
five business days before the technical workshop.
The Company will include in its 2011 IRP update an updated Coal Replacement Study
focusing on those units analyzed in the screening analysis as described above. The
updated Coal Replacement Study will be performed using the System Optimizer model
and will explore a range of natural gas prices and CO2 costs in varying combinations. The
updated Coal Replacement Study will discuss and evaluate flexibility in the emerging
environmental regulations and the associated economics that may present options to the
Company to avoid early compliance costs by offering to shut down certain individual
units prior to the end of their currently approved depreciable lives. In the updated Study,
the Company will provide a concise explanation and transparent example of its treatment
of post-2030 costs and will provide an analysis that shows the results of treatments of
environmental investments made prior to 2015 both avoidable and unavoidable.
Status
A confidential workshop was held with stakeholders and a commission workshop was held in
February 2012 in Salem. Confidential material was distributed in February 2012 to stakeholders
that are signatories under the appropriate protective order. The Screening analysis was completed
for all units (Naughton Unit 3 was excluded pending completion of updated Naughton Unit 3
Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity analysis) and the results were reviewed in a
February 2012 workshop. Gas-fired CCCT characteristics were reported in the screening model.
Four market scenarios were modeled:
Base gas/base CO2 price
Low gas/no CO2 price
Base gas/high CO2 price
Low gas/high CO2 price
The information was provided as part of a “Summary Results” worksheet in the screening model.
Screening model results were provided to stakeholders in February 2012. Confidential and
redacted versions of the Coal Replacement Study were included with the 2011 IRP Update report
submitted to the state commissions on March 30, 2012. The Company has analyzed in the 2013
IRP environmental investments required to meet known and prospective compliance obligations
across PacifiCorp’s existing coal fleet. Supported by analyses performed as part of the 2013 IRP
and analyses performed in recent regulatory filings, the Company plans to convert Naughton
Unit 3 to a natural gas-fired facility and to install environmental investments required to meet
near term compliance obligations at the Hunter Unit 1, Jim Bridger Unit 3, and Jim Bridger Unit
4 generating units. Installation of emission control equipment at these facilities will reduce
emissions of nitrous oxides (NOX) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) and contribute to improved visibility
in the region. The Company plans to continue to evaluate environmental investments required to
meet known and prospective environmental compliance obligations at existing coal units in
future IRPs and future IRP Updates.
Building upon modeling techniques developed in the 2011 IRP and 2011 IRP Update,
environmental investments required to achieve compliance with known and prospective
regulations at existing coal resources have been integrated into the portfolio modeling process in
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the 2013 IRP. Potential alternatives to environmental investments associated with known and
prospective compliance obligations tied to Regional Haze rules, Mercury and Air Toxics
Standards (MATS), regulation of coal combustion residuals (CCR), and regulation of cooling
water intakes are considered in the development of all resource portfolios developed for the 2013
IRP. Integrating potential environmental investment decisions into the portfolio development
process allows each portfolio to reflect potential early retirement and resource replacement
and/or natural gas conversion as alternatives to incremental environmental investment projects
on a unit-by-unit basis. In addition to integrating coal unit environmental investment decisions
into the portfolio development process, the Company has completed detailed financial analysis
of near-term investment decisions in Confidential Volume III of the 2013 IRP. This action item
has been superseded by Action Item 8a through 8d in Table 9.1.
Action Item 10: Transmission
In the scenario definition phase of the IRP process, the Company will address with
stakeholders the inclusion of any transmission projects on a case-by-case basis.
Develop an evaluation process and criteria for evaluating transmission additions and
review with stakeholders which transmission projects should be included and why.
Based on the outcome of these steps, PacifiCorp will provide appropriate transmission
segment analysis for which the Company requests acknowledgement (including Wallula
to McNary and Sigurd to Red Butte).
Status
As part of the 2013 IRP the Company has incorporated five separate Energy Gateway scenarios
which were run for each of the core cases. The Company has developed an evaluation tool,
System Operational and Reliability Benefits Tool (SBT), to evaluate transmission additions. The
SBT identifies, measures, and monetizes benefits that are incremental to those identified in the
resource portfolio modeling process. Analysis using the SBT supports investment in the Sigurd
to Red Butte transmission project and preliminary application of the SBT to the Windstar to
Populus transmission project supports continued permitting of Energy Gateway Segment D. The
Company has reviewed the tool with stakeholders throughout the 2013 IRP process. In contrast
to the 2011 IRP, where analysis of Energy Gateway transmission investments preceded resource
portfolio modeling, Energy Gateway transmission investments have been integrated into the
portfolio modeling process for the 2013 IRP. This was achieved by replicating the development
of resource portfolios among five different Energy Gateway transmission scenarios.
Consequently, 94 unique core case resource portfolios were produced in the 2013 IRP, nearly
five times the number of core case portfolios developed for the 2011 IRP.
The SBT will continue to be developed and will be applied to additional Energy Gateway
transmission projects for analysis in future IRPs. This action item has been superseded by Action
Item 9a through 9c in Table 9.1.
Action Item 11: Planning Reserve Margin
For the 2011 IRP Update include the results of a System Optimizer portfolio sensitivity
analysis comparing the resource and cost impacts of a 12 percent versus 13 percent
planning reserve margin.
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Status
The 2011 IRP Update included a summary of a planning reserve margin analysis that presented
the impact on resource need when the planning reserve margin is assumed to change from 13
percent to 12 percent. Appendix I in the 2013 IRP, which was provided and discussed with
stakeholders, was completed by Ventyx and provides the resource and cost impact of a 12
percent vs. 13 percent planning reserve margin. This action item has been superseded by Action
Item 10a in Table 9.1.
Acquisition Path Analysis
Resource Strategies
PacifiCorp worked with stakeholders to define 19 input scenarios, or “core cases”, which were
applied across five different Energy Gateway transmission scenarios totaling 94 different
variations of resource portfolios.81 The 19 different core cases were categorized into four
different themes. The array of core case definitions, grouped by theme, provides the framework
for a resource acquisition path analysis by evaluating how resource selections are impacted by
shifts in policies and changes to fundamental market conditions. The four core case themes are
summarized as follows:
(9) Reference: There are three different core cases developed for the Reference Theme.
Each case relied upon base case assumptions for market prices, environmental policy
inputs, energy efficiency assumptions, and load projections. RPS assumptions
differentiate the three cases in the Reference Theme, with one case assuming no state
or federal RPS requirements, one case assuming only state RPS requirements, and
one case assuming both state and federal RPS requirements must be met.
(10) Environmental Policy: There are 11 different core cases developed for the
Environmental Policy Theme. Five of the 11 cases reflect base case assumptions for
Regional Haze requirements on existing coal units, and six of the 11 cases assume
more stringent Regional Haze requirements. Differentiating the sets of cases with
different Regional Haze compliance requirements are varying assumptions for market
prices (low, medium, and high), CO2 prices (zero, medium, and high), RPS
requirements (with and without state and federal RPS), and energy efficiency.
(11) Targeted Resources: There are four different core cases developed for the
Targeted Resource Theme. Each of the cases is characterized by alternative
assumptions for specific resource types to understand how these assumptions
influence resource portfolios, costs, and risk. One of the four cases prevents CCCT
resources to be added to the resource portfolio and assumes energy efficiency
resources can be acquired at an accelerated rate. The second of the four cases in this
theme assumes that geothermal power purchase agreement resources will be used to
meet RPS requirements. The third of four cases in this theme assumes a spike in
81 One of the input scenarios is applicable to four out of the five Energy Gateway transmission scenarios.
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power prices over the period 2017 through 2022 and assumes natural gas prices will
rise above base case levels over the entirety of the planning horizon. The fourth case
in this theme targets clean energy resources and assumes CO2 prices rise consistent
with a federal hard cap scenario, that natural gas prices rise above those assumed in
the base case, that federal tax incentives for renewable resources are extended
through 2019, and that energy efficiency resources can be acquired at an accelerated
rate.
(12) Transmission: The Transmission Theme included one core case, which assumes
that third party transmission can be purchased from a newly built line as an
alternative to
Given current load expectations, portfolio modeling performed for the 2013 IRP shows the
resource acquisition path in the preferred portfolio is robust among a wide range of policy and
market conditions, particularly in the near-term, when FOTs and energy efficiency resources are
consistently selected. With regard to renewable resource acquisition, the portfolio development
modeling performed in the 2013 IRP shows that new renewable resource needs are driven by
RPS compliance obligations, and all else equal, this result is not significantly changed if federal
tax incentives are assumed to be extended. Beyond load, the most significant driver affecting
resource selection in the 2013 IRP are market price and policy assumptions that trigger early coal
unit retirements as an alternative to environmental investments required to meet known and
emerging environmental regulations. For these reasons, the acquisition path analysis focuses on
load trigger events, and combinations of environmental policy and market price trigger events
that would require alternative resource acquisition strategies. For each trigger event, Table 9.2
lists the associated planning scenario and both short-term (2013-2022) and long-term (2023-
2032) resource strategies.
Acquisition Path Decision Mechanism
The Utah Commission requires that PacifiCorp provide “[a] plan of different resource acquisition
paths with a decision mechanism to select among and modify as the future unfolds.”82
PacifiCorp’s decision mechanism is centered on the business planning and IRP processes, which
together constitute the decision framework for making resource investment decisions. The IRP
models are used on a macro-level to evaluate alternative portfolios and futures as part of the IRP
process, and then on a micro-level to evaluate the economics and system benefits of individual
resources as part of the supply-side resource procurement and DSM target-setting/valuation
processes. In developing the IRP action plan and path analysis, the Company considers common
elements across multiple resource strategies (for example, base levels of each resource type
across many least-cost portfolios optimized according to different futures), planning
contingencies and resource flexibility, and continuous evaluation of market/regulatory
developments and resource options.
PacifiCorp uses the IRP and business plan to serve as decision support tools for senior
management to determine the most prudent resource acquisition paths for maintaining system
82 Public Service Commission of Utah, In the Matter of Analysis of an Integrated Resource Plan for PacifiCorp,
Report and Order, Docket No. 90-2035-01, June 1992, p. 28.
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reliability and low-cost electricity supplies, and to help address strategic positioning issues. The
key strategic issues as outlined in this IRP include (1) addressing regulatory risks in the areas of
climate change and renewable resource policies; (2) accounting for price risk and uncertainty in
making resource acquisition decisions; (3) load uncertainty; and (4) determining the appropriate
level and timing of long-term transmission expansion investments, accounting for the regulatory
risks and uncertainties outlined above.
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Table 9.2 – Near-term and Long-term Resource Acquisition Paths
Trigger Event
Planning
Scenario(s)
Near-Term Resource
Acquisition Strategy
(2013-2022)
Long Term Resource Acquisition
Strategy
(2023-2032)
Higher sustained
load growth
High economic
drivers and
increased demand
from industrial
customers
Increase acquisition of FOTs
Increase acquisition of Class
1 DSM direct load control
resources in the 2017 – 2020
timeframe
Accelerate acquisition of a
gas-fired thermal resource to
2019
Increase acquisition of RECs
to maintain compliance with
RPS requirements consistent
with load growth
expectations by state
Accelerate acquisition of
thermal resources to 2023
Increase acquisition of Class 1
DSM direct load control
resources.
Balance timing of thermal
resource acquisition and Class 1
DSM resources with FOTs and
cost-effective Class 2 DSM
energy efficiency resources
Evaluate cost effective RPS
compliance strategies, including
tradeoffs between resource
acquisition and use of
compliance flexibility
mechanisms like banking and
use of unbundled RECs
Lower sustained
load growth
Low economic
drivers suppress
load requirements
Reduce acquisition of FOTs
Continue to purse Class 2
DSM energy efficiency
resources
Reduce acquisition of gas-fired
thermal resources
Pursue peaking gas-fired
resources to meet load growth
Balance timing of thermal
resource acquisition and Class 1
DSM resources with FOTs and
cost-effective Class 2 DSM
energy efficiency resources
Softening of the
natural gas
market combined
with greenhouse
gas policies that
increase the cost
of coal unit
operation
Excess gas supply
with increasing well
productivity and/or
technological
innovation and
dampened demand
from limited use in
the transportation
sector and no
liquefied natural gas
exports.
Legislative action to
implement new
greenhouse gas
polices or new
regulations
implemented with
equivalent costs
expected to
approach $75/ton by
2032.
Increase acquisition of FOTs
and/or Class 2 DSM energy
efficiency resources
Pursue strategic low cost gas
conversion of existing coal
units
Retire high cost coal units
and accelerate acquisition of
replacement natural gas-fired
thermal resources
Accelerate acquisition of
gas-fired thermal resources
to 2019 to meet load growth
expectations
Pursue strategic low cost gas
conversion of existing coal units
Retire high cost coal units and
accelerate acquisition of
replacement natural gas-fired
thermal resources
Accelerate acquisition of cost-
effective renewable resources
Balance timing of thermal
resource acquisition and Class 1
DSM resources with FOTs and
cost-effective Class 2 DSM
energy efficiency resources
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Trigger Event
Planning
Scenario(s)
Near-Term Resource
Acquisition Strategy
(2013-2022)
Long Term Resource Acquisition
Strategy
(2023-2032)
Strengthening of
the natural gas
market combined
with greenhouse
gas policies that
increase the cost
of coal unit
operation
High oil prices
support liquefied
natural gas exports
with lagging global
shale development
and demand for
natural gas in the
transportation sector
increases beyond
2020.
Legislative action to
implement new
greenhouse gas
polices or new
regulations
implemented with
equivalent costs in
excess of $130/ton
by 2032.
Increase acquisition of FOTs
Accelerate acquisition of
incremental Class 2 DSM
energy efficiency resources
Accelerate and increase
acquisition of renewable
resources
Pursue strategic low cost gas
conversion of existing coal units
Retire high cost coal units and
pursue acquisition of low
emission replacement thermal
resources such as nuclear and
generating technologies with
carbon capture and sequestration
Accelerate and increase
acquisition of renewable
resources.
Build additional transmission
infrastructure to gain access to
cost effective renewable
resource opportunities.
Procurement Delays
The main procurement risk is an inability to procure resources in the required time frame to meet
the need. There are various reasons why a particular proxy resource cannot be procured in the
timeframe identified in the 2013 IRP. There may not be any cost-effective opportunities
available through an RFP, the successful RFP bidder may experience delays in permitting and/or
default on their obligations, or a material change in the market for fuels, materials, electricity, or
environmental or other electric utility regulations, may change the Company’s entire resource
procurement strategy.
Possible paths PacifiCorp could take if there was either a delay in the online date of a resource
or, if it was no longer feasible or desirable to acquire a given resource, include the following:
Consider alternative bids if they haven’t been released under a current RFP.
Issue an emergency RFP for a specific resource.
Move up the delivery date of a potential resource by negotiating with the
supplier/developer.
Rely on near-term purchased power and transmission until a longer-term alternative is
identified, acquired through PacifiCorp’s mini-RFPs or sole source procurement.
Install temporary generators to address some or all of the capacity needs.
Temporarily drop below the 13 percent planning reserve margin.
Implement load control initiatives, including calls for load curtailment via existing load
curtailment contracts.
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IRP Action Plan Linkage to Business Planning
Resource differences between PacifiCorp’s 2013 IRP and the 2011 IRP Update relates primarily
to a decreased load forecast and lower natural gas and power prices. These drivers result in a
significant reduction of resources which include removal of natural gas, wind, FOT, DSM, and
distributed generation resources. As compared to the 2011 IRP Update, the 2013 IRP preferred
portfolio includes increased distributed solar due to the expanded Utah Solar Incentive Program.
Table 9.3 compares the 2013 IRP preferred portfolio with the 2011 IRP Update portfolio for the
10 years covered by both portfolios (2013-2022), indicating year by year capacity differences by
major resource categories (yellow highlighted table). The major resource changes since the 2011
IRP Update include the removal of two CCCT resources (CCCT F 2x1 and CCCT G 1x1)
included in the portfolio by 2016 and 2019 respectively, reduction in DSM influenced by an
updated resource potential study and additional detail in representing DSM in the current IRP
modeling framework, increased distributed solar resources, and removal of wind resources. As
discussed in Chapter 8 and identified in Table 9.1, renewable energy credits will be used to meet
state RPS requirements.
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Table 9.3 – Portfolio Comparison, 2013 Preferred Portfolio versus 2011 IRP Update
Portfolio
Table 9.4 provides a comparison between the 2013 Business Plan and the 2013 IRP Preferred
Portfolio. The drivers of the differences between the 2013 IRP Preferred Portfolio and the 2013
Business Plan include, reduced loads, removal of wind resources consistent with use of
renewable energy credit purchase for RPS compliance, decreased DSM and FOTs due to
decrease in load, and increase in distributed solar due to the Utah Solar Incentive Program.
2013 IRP Preferred Portfolio
Capacity (MW)Resource Totals
Resource 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2013-2022
Coal Plant Turbine Upgrades 14 - - - - - - - - - 14
Gas - 645 - - - - - - - - 645
Wind - - - - - - - - - - -
Other Renewables / Solar 12 14 17 16 18 14 14 14 15 15 149
DSM, Class 1 - - - - - - - - - - -
DSM, Class 2 115 117 103 101 97 92 90 81 80 82 956
Distributed Generation 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11
Total Long Term Resources 141 777 121 119 116 106 104 95 96 98 1,774
Utah Capacity Purchase *200 - - - - - - - - - 200
East - Firm Market Purchases - - - - - 37 151 248 19 161 62
West - Firm Market Purchases 650 709 845 983 1,102 1,172 1,172 1,172 1,172 1,172 1,015
Firm Market Purchases 850 709 845 983 1,102 1,209 1,323 1,420 1,191 1,333 1,277
Study includes Naughton 3 gas conversion in 2015
FOT in resource total are 10-year averages
2013 IRP Preferred Portfolio less 2011 IRP Update (2012 Business Plan)
Capacity (MW)Resource Totals
Resource 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2013-2022
Coal Plant Turbine Upgrades - - - - - - - - - - -
Gas - 8 - (597) - - (393) - - - (982)
Wind - - - - - - (225) (225) - (75) (525)
Other Renewables / Solar 7 11 14 16 18 14 14 14 15 15 138
DSM, Class 1 (57) (20) (97) - - - - - - - (174)
DSM, Class 2 4 (2) (19) (23) (29) (28) (32) (44) (45) (52) (269)
Distributed Generation (4) (4) (4) (4) (4) (4) (4) (4) (4) (4) (41)
Total Long Term Resources (50) (6) (106) (607) (16) (19) (640) (260) (34) (116) (1,853)
Utah Capacity Purchase *- - - - - - - - - - -
East - Firm Market Purchases (150) (300) (331) (300) (300) (263) (145) (52) (35) 23 (185)
West - Firm Market Purchases (188) (52) (47) 416 506 437 639 377 458 446 299
Firm Market Purchases (338) (352) (378) 116 206 174 494 325 423 469 114
FOT in resource total are 10-year averages
2011 IRP Update (2012 Business Plan - Dec. 2011)
Capacity (MW)Resource Totals
Resource 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2013-2022
Coal Plant Turbine Upgrades 19 14 - - - - - - - - - 14
Gas - - 637 - 597 - - 393 - - - 1,627
Wind - - - - - - - 225 225 - 75 525
Other Renewables / Solar 4 4 3 3 - - - - - - - 10
DSM, Class 1 70 57 20 97 - - - - - - - 174
DSM, Class 2 114 110 118 122 124 126 120 122 125 125 134 1,225
Distributed Generation 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 52
Total Long Term Resources 213 191 783 227 726 131 125 745 355 130 214 3,627
Utah Capacity Purchase *200 200 - - - - - - - - - 20
East - Firm Market Purchases 17 150 300 331 300 300 300 296 300 54 138 247
West - Firm Market Purchases 927 838 761 892 567 596 735 533 795 714 726 716
Firm Market Purchases 1,145 1,188 1,061 1,223 867 896 1,035 829 1,095 768 864 983
FOT in resource total are 10-year averages
2013 IRP vs 2011 IRP Update
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Table 9.4 – Portfolio Comparison, 2013 Business Plan versus 2013 Preferred Portfolio
Resource Procurement Strategy
To acquire resources outlined in the 2013 IRP action plan, PacifiCorp intends to continue using
competitive solicitation processes in accordance with the then-current law, rules, and/or
guidelines in each of the states in which PacifiCorp operates. PacifiCorp will also continue to
pursue opportunistic acquisitions identified outside of a competitive procurement process that
provide clear economic benefits to customers. Regardless of the method for acquiring resources,
the Company will use its IRP models to support resource evaluation as part of the procurement
process, with updated assumptions including load forecasts, commodity prices, and regulatory
2013 IRP Preferred Portfolio
Capacity (MW)Resource Totals
Resource 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2013-2022
Coal Plant Turbine Upgrades 14 - - - - - - - - - 14
Gas - 645 - - - - - - - - 645
Wind - - - - - - - - - - -
Other Renewables / Solar 12 14 17 16 18 14 14 14 15 15 149
DSM, Class 1 - - - - - - - - - - -
DSM, Class 2 115 117 103 101 97 92 90 81 80 82 956
Distributed Generation 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11
Total Long Term Resources 141 777 121 119 116 106 104 95 96 98 1,774
Utah Capacity Purchase *200 - - - - - - - - - 20
East - Firm Market Purchases - - - - - 37 151 248 19 161 62
West - Firm Market Purchases 650 709 845 983 1,102 1,172 1,172 1,172 1,172 1,172 1,015
Firm Market Purchases 850 709 845 983 1,102 1,209 1,323 1,420 1,191 1,333 1,097
Study includes Naughton 3 gas conversion in 2015
FOT in resource total are 10-year averages
2013 IRP Preferred Portfolio less 2013 Business Plan
Capacity (MW)Resource Totals
Resource 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2013-2022
Coal Plant Turbine Upgrades - - - - - - - - - - -
Gas - 7 - - - - - - - - 7
Wind - - - - - (100) (100) (100) (100) - (400)
Other Renewables / Solar 7 11 14 16 18 14 14 14 15 15 138
DSM, Class 1 - - - - - - (1) (100) - - (101)
DSM, Class 2 29 26 8 9 7 (4) (7) (19) (25) (29) (4)
Distributed Generation (4) (4) (4) (4) (4) (4) (4) (4) (4) (4) (41)
Total Long Term Resources 32 40 18 21 21 (94) (98) (209) (113) (17) (401)
Utah Capacity Purchase *- - - (200) (200) (200) (200) (200) - - (100)
East - Firm Market Purchases - (92) (51) (88) (72) (93) (95) (52) (62) 18 (59)
West - Firm Market Purchases (268) (166) (233) (46) (66) (45) (45) (45) (45) (45) (100)
Firm Market Purchases (268) (258) (283) (335) (338) (337) (339) (297) (106) (27) (259)
FOT in resource total are 10-year averages
2013 Business Plan (December 2012)
Capacity (MW)Resource Totals
Resource 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2013-2022
Coal Plant Turbine Upgrades 19 14 - - - - - - - - - 14
Gas - - 638 - - - - - - - - 638
Wind - - - - - - 100 100 100 100 - 400
Other Renewables / Solar 4 4 3 3 - - - - - - - 10
DSM, Class 1 - - - - - - - 1 100 - - 101
DSM, Class 2 101 86 90 95 93 90 95 97 100 104 110 960
Distributed Generation 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 52
Total Long Term Resources 130 109 736 104 98 95 201 202 305 210 115 2,174
Utah Capacity Purchase *200 200 - - 200 200 200 200 200 - - 120
East - Firm Market Purchases 62 - 92 51 88 72 130 246 300 81 143 120
West - Firm Market Purchases 1,055 918 875 1,078 1,029 1,168 1,217 1,217 1,217 1,217 1,217 1,115
Firm Market Purchases 1,317 1,118 967 1,128 1,318 1,440 1,546 1,662 1,717 1,297 1,360 1,355
Study includes Naughton 3 gas conversion in 2015
FOT in resource total are 10-year averages
2013 IRP vs 2013 Business Plan
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requirement information available at the time that the resource evaluations occur. This will
ensure that the resource evaluations account for a long-term system benefit view in alignment
with the IRP portfolio analysis framework as directed by state procurement regulations, and with
business planning goals in mind.
The sections below profile the general procurement approaches for the key resource categories
covered in the action plan: renewable energy credits, DSM, thermal plants, distributed
generation, and market purchases.
Renewable Energy Credits
The Company uses a shelf RFP as the primary mechanism under which the Company will issue
subsequent RFPs to meet most of the renewable energy credit acquisition goals over the IRP
action plan and business planning horizons.
Demand-side Management
PacifiCorp uses a variety of business processes to implement DSM programs. The outsourcing
model is preferred where the supplier takes the performance risk for achieving DSM results. In
other cases, PacifiCorp manages the program and contracts out specific tasks. A third method is
to operate the program completely in-house. The business process used for any given program is
based on operational expertise, performance risk and cost-effectiveness.
To support the DSM procurement program, the IRP models are used for resource valuation
purposes to gauge the cost-effectiveness of programs identified for procurement shortlists. For
Class 2 DSM programs, PacifiCorp performs a “no cost” load shape decrement analysis to derive
program values using its stochastic production cost model, Planning and Risk, similar to what
was done for the 2011 IRP. The load shape decrement analysis is included in Volume II<
Appendix N.
Distributed Generation
Distributed generation, both solar and biomass, were found to be cost-effective resources in the
context of IRP portfolio modeling. PacifiCorp’s procurement process will continue to provide an
avenue for such new or existing resources to participate. These resources will be advantaged by
being given a minimum bid amount (MW) eligibility that is appropriate for such an alternative,
but that is also consistent with PacifiCorp’s then-current and applicable tariff filings (qualifying
facility (QF) tariffs for example).
PacifiCorp will continue to participate with regulators and advocates in legislative and other
regulatory activities that help provide tax or other incentives to renewable and distributed
generation resources. The Company will also continue to improve representation of distributed
generation resource in the IRP models.
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Assessment of Owning Assets versus Purchasing Power
As the Company acquires new resources, it will need to determine whether it is better to own a
resource or purchase power from another party. While the ultimate decision will be made at the
time resources are acquired, and will primarily be based on cost, there are other considerations
that may be relevant.
With owned resources, the Company would be in a better position to control costs, make life
extension improvements, use the site for additional resources in the future, change fueling
strategies or sources, efficiently address plant modifications that may be required as a result of
changes in environmental or other laws and regulations, and utilize the plant at cost as long as it
remains economic. In addition, by owning a plant, the Company can hedge itself from the
uncertainty of relying on purchasing power from others.
Depending on contract terms, purchasing power from a third party in a long term contract may
help mitigate and may avoid any liabilities associated with closure of a plant. Short-term
purchased power contracts could allow the Company to defer a long term resource acquisition. A
long-term purchase power contract relinquishes control of construction cost, schedule, ongoing
costs and compliance to a third party, and exposes the buyer to default events and contract
remedies that will not likely cover the potential negative impacts. Finally, credit rating agencies
impute debt associated with long-term resource contracts that may result from a competitive
procurement process, and such imputation may affect the Company’s credit ratios and credit
rating.
Managing Carbon Risk for Existing Plants
CO2 reduction regulations at the federal, regional, or state levels would prompt the Company to
continue to look for measures to lower CO2 emissions of existing thermal plants through cost-
effective means. The cost, timing, and compliance flexibility afforded by CO2 reduction rules
will impact what types of measures that would be cost-effective and practical from operational
and regulatory perspectives. As noted earlier in the IRP, known and prospective environmental
regulations can impact coal plant utilization and investment decisions.
Under a cap-and-trade policy framework, examples of factors affecting carbon compliance
strategies include the allocation of emission allowances, the cost of allowances in the market,
and any flexible compliance mechanisms such as opportunities to use carbon offsets,
allowance/offset banking and borrowing, and safety valve mechanisms. To lower the emission
levels for existing thermal plants, options include economic early retirement, changing the fuel
type, repowering with more efficient generation equipment, lowering the plant heat rate so it is
more efficient, and adoption of new technologies such as CO2 capture with sequestration when
commercially proven. Indirectly, plant carbon risk can be addressed by acquiring offsets in the
form of renewable generation and energy efficiency programs. Under an aggressive CO2
regulatory environment, and depending on fuel costs, coal plant idling and replacement strategies
may become tenable options.
High CO2 costs would shift technology preferences both for new resources and existing
resources to those with more efficient heat rates and also away from coal, unless carbon is
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sequestered. There may be opportunities to repower some of the existing coal fleet with a
different less carbon-intensive fuel such as natural gas, as is currently being pursued for the
Naughton Unit 3 generating unit. A major issue is whether new technologies will be available
that can be exchanged for existing coal economically, particularly if market and policy drivers
lead to large scale and abrupt early retirements across the region and the U.S. as a whole.
Purpose of Hedging
While PacifiCorp focuses every day on minimizing net power costs for customers, the Company
also focuses every day on mitigating price risk to customers, which is done through hedging
consistent with a robust risk management policy. For years the Company has followed a
consistent hedging program that limits risk to customers, has tracked risk metrics assiduously
and has diligently documented hedging activities. The Company’s risk management policy and
hedging program exists to achieve the following goals: (1) to ensure that reliable power is
available to serve customers; (2) to reduce net power cost volatility; and (3) to protect customers
from significant risk. The purpose is solely to reduce customer exposure to net power cost
volatility and adverse price movement. The Company does not speculatively trade commodities.
Hedging is done solely for the purpose of limiting financial losses due to unfavorable wholesale
market changes. Hedging modifies the potential losses and gains in net power costs associated
with wholesale market price changes. The purpose of hedging is not to reduce or minimize net
power costs. The Company cannot predict the direction or sustainability of changes in forward
prices. Therefore, the Company hedges, in the forward market, to reduce the volatility of net
power costs consistent with good industry practice as documented in the Company’s risk
management policy.
Risk Management Policy and Hedging Program
PacifiCorp’s risk management policy and hedging program were designed to follow electric
industry best practices and are periodically reviewed at least annually by the Company’s risk
oversight committee. The risk oversight committee includes the Company’s chief financial
officer, treasurer, director of risk management, assistant general counsel, controller, and senior
vice president of commercial and trading. The risk oversight committee makes recommendations
to the president of PacifiCorp Energy, who ultimately must approve any change to the risk
management policy. The Company’s current policy is also consistent with the guidelines that
resulted from collaborative hedging workshops with parties in Utah, Oregon, Idaho and
Wyoming that took place in 2011 and 2012.
The main components of the Company’s risk management policy and hedging program are
natural gas percent hedged volume limits, value-at-risk (VaR) limits and time to expiry VaR
(TEVaR) limits. These limits force the Company to monitor the open positions it holds in power
and natural gas on behalf of its customers on a daily basis and limit the size of these open
positions by prescribed time frames in order to reduce customer exposure to price concentration
and price volatility. The hedge program requires purchases of natural gas at fixed prices in
gradual stages in advance of when it is required to reduce the size of this short position and
associated customer risk. Likewise, on the power side, the Company either purchases or sells
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power in gradual stages in advance of anticipated open short or long positions to manage price
volatility on behalf of customers.
Since 2003, the Company’s hedge program has employed a portfolio approach of dollar cost
averaging to progressively reduce net power cost risk exposure over a defined time horizon while
adhering to best practice risk management governance and guidelines. The Company’s current
portfolio hedging approach is defined by increasing risk tolerance levels represented by
progressively increasing percentage of net power costs across the forward hedging period. The
Company incorporated a time to expiry value at risk (TEVaR) metric in May 2010. In May
2012, as a result of multiple hedging collaboratives, the Company reintroduced natural gas
percent hedge volume limits of forecast requirements into its policy. There has been no conflict
to-date between the new volume limits and the Company’s VaR and TEVaR limits, although the
volume limits would supersede in such conflict, consistent with the guidelines from the hedging
collaboratives.
The primary governance of the Company’s hedging activities is documented in the Company’s
Risk Management Policy. In May 2010, the Company moved from hedging targets based on
volume percentages to targets based on the “to expiry value-at-risk” or TEVaR metric. The
primary goal of this change was to increase the transparency of the combined natural gas and
power exposure by period. It enhances the progressive approach to hedging that the Company
has employed for many years and provides the benefit of a more sophisticated measure of risk
that responds to changes in the market and changes in open natural gas and power positions.
Importantly, the TEVaR metric automatically reduces hedge requirements as commodity price
volatility decreases and increases hedge requirements as correlations among commodities
diverge, all the while maintaining the same customer risk exposure.
Dollar cost averaging is the term used to describe gradually hedging over a period of time rather
than all at once. This method of hedging, which is widely used by many utilities, captures time
diversification and eliminates speculative bursts of market timing activity. Its use means that at
times the Company buys at relatively higher prices and at other times relatively lower prices,
essentially capturing an array of prices at many levels. While doing so, the Company steadily
and adaptively meets its hedge goals through the use of this technique while staying within VaR
and TEVaR and natural gas percent hedge volume limits.
The result of these program changes in combination with changes in the market (such as reduced
volatility to which the Company’s program automatically responds), has been a significant
decrease in the Company’s longer-dated hedge activity, i.e., four years forward on a rolling
basis.
As a result of the hedging collaboratives, the Company made the following material changes to
its policy in May 2012: (l) a reduction in the standard hedge horizon from 48 months to 36
months and (2) a percent hedged range guideline for natural gas for each of the three forward l2-
month periods, which includes a minimum natural gas open position in each of the forward 12-
month periods. The percent hedged range guideline is greater for the first rolling twelve months
and gradually smaller for the second and third rolling twelve-month periods. The Company also
agreed to provide a new confidential semi-annual hedging report.
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Cost Minimization
While hedging does not minimize net power costs, PacifiCorp takes many actions to minimize
net power costs for customers. First, the Company is engaged in integrated resource planning to
plan resource acquisitions that are anticipated to provide the lowest cost resources to our
customers in the long-run. The Company then issues competitive requests for proposals to
assure that the resources we acquire are the lowest cost resources available on a risk-adjusted
basis. In operations, the Company optimizes its portfolio of resources on behalf of customers by
maintaining and operating a portfolio of assets that diversifies customer exposure to fuel, power
market and emissions risk and utilize an extensive transmission network that provides access to
markets across the western United States. Independent of any natural gas and electric price
hedging activity, to provide reliable supply and minimize net power costs for customers, the
Company commits generation units daily, dispatches in real time all economic generation
resources and all must-take contract resources, serves retail load, and then sells any excess
generation to generate wholesale revenue to reduce net power costs for customers. The Company
also purchases power when it is less expensive to purchase power than to generate power from
our owned and contracted resources.
Hedging cannot be used to minimize net power costs. Hedging does not produce a different
expected outcome than not hedging and therefore cannot be considered a cost minimization tool.
Hedging is solely a tool to mitigate customer exposure to net power cost volatility and the risk of
adverse price movement. However, the Company does minimize the cost of hedging by
transacting in liquid markets and utilizing robust protections to mitigate the risk of counterparty
default. In addition, the Company reduces the amount of hedging required to achieve a given
risk tolerance through its portfolio hedge management approach, which takes into account
offsetting exposures when these commodities are correlated, as opposed to hedging commodity
exposures to natural gas and power in isolation without regard for offsets.
Portfolio
The Company has a short position in natural gas because of its ownership of gas-fired electric
generation that requires it to purchase large quantities of natural gas to generate electricity to
serve its customers. The Company may have short or long positions in power depending on the
shortfall or excess of the Company’s total economic generation relative to customer load
requirements at a given point in time.
The Company hedges its net energy (combined natural gas and power) position on a portfolio
basis to take full advantage of any natural offsets between its long power and short natural gas
positions. The Company’s 2011 IRP analysis shows that a “hedge only power” or “hedge only
natural gas” approach results in higher risk (i.e., a wider distribution of outcomes). There is a
natural need for an electric company with natural gas fired electricity generation assets to have a
hedge program that simultaneously manages natural gas and power open positions with
appropriate coordinated metrics. The Company’s risk management department incorporates
daily updates of forward prices for natural gas, power, volatilities and correlations to establish
daily changes in open positions and risk metrics which inform the hedging decisions made every
day by Company traders.
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The Company’s hedge program does not rely on a long power position. However, the
Company’s hedge program takes into account the Company’s full portfolio and utilizes
continuously updated correlations of natural gas and power prices and thereby takes advantage of
offsetting natural gas and power positions in circumstances when prices are correlated and a
forecast long power position offsets a forecast short natural gas position. This has the effect of
reducing the amount of natural gas hedging that the Company would otherwise pursue. Ignoring
this correlation would instead result in the need for more natural gas hedges to achieve the same
level of customer risk reduction.
The Company’s customers have benefited from offsetting power and natural gas positions.
Power and natural gas prices are closely related because natural gas is often the fuel on the
margin in efficient dispatch, as is practiced throughout the western U.S. This means power sales
tend to be more valuable in periods when natural gas is high cost, producing revenues that are a
credit or offset to the high cost fuel. If spot natural gas prices depart from prior forward prices,
power prices will tend to do so in the same direction, thereby naturally hedging some of the
unexpected cost variance.
Effectiveness Measure
The goal of the hedging program is to reduce volatility in the Company’s net power costs
primarily due to changes in market prices. The goal is not to “beat the market” and, therefore,
should not be measured on the basis of whether it has made or lost money for customers. This
reduction in volatility is calculated and reported in the Company’s confidential semi-annual
hedging report which it began providing as a result of the hedging collaborative.
Instruments
The Company’s hedging program allows the use of several instruments including financial
swaps, fixed price physical and options for these products. The Company chooses instruments
that generally have greater liquidity and lower transaction costs. The Company also considers,
with respect to options, the likelihood of disallowance of the option premium in its six
jurisdictions. There is no functional difference between financial swaps and fixed price physical
transactions; both instruments are equally effective in hedging the Company’s fixed price
exposure.
External Review
In the Company’s 2009 Utah General Rate Case, the Division of Public Utilities requested that
Blue Ridge, a consulting firm knowledgeable with commodity hedging, review the Company’s
hedging program. The Blue Ridge Report affirmatively concluded that the Company’s risk
management policy and hedging program was well-documented, controlled and adhered to
generally accepted industry standards as follows:
Overall, Blue Ridge found that the Company’s commercial trading and risk management
programs (and the related hedging programs) are well-documented and controlled and
adhere to generally accepted standards found elsewhere in the industry. The Company
has well-stated goals and strategy that is aimed at mitigating price volatility. In addition,
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278
our review of the Company’s internal documents showed that the Company is self-
monitoring compliance with accepted commercial trading and risk management
procedures through its own internal audit function.
The question has been asked, “Why hedge?” The answer lies in one fundamental
statement: prices and supplies for energy commodities (crude oil, natural gas, electricity,
etc.) can and have been extremely volatile. The benefit of hedging is that when prices are
rising (either rapidly in the short term or gradually in the long term), a hedged portfolio
of supply should mitigate the effect of those increases. However, the opposite is also true.
When prices fall suddenly, a hedged portion of the supply can cost the utility and its
customers the difference between the prices that were available at the current time versus
the hedged prices for that supply. This cost (when netted against any gains) along with
the administrative costs associated to operate and manage the trading operations is
considered the insurance premium associated with a hedged portfolio.
[H]aving a “no hedge” policy clearly exposes consumers to significant (and likely) price
swings. Assuming that an upward price trend continues (despite recent price levels and
short-term price forecasts), consumers are very likely to pay higher prices for energy
absent some level of hedging and price volatility mitigation.
The National Regulatory Research Institute (NRRI) provided guidance related to natural gas
hedging by utilities. The Utah Division of Public Utilities sponsored a presentation by NRRI to
the Utah Commission in June 2009. The NRRI Report85 indicates that, for many years, state
commissions have suggested that failure to engage in hedging (i.e., buying natural gas in the day-
ahead market or spot price) may be imprudent. The NRRI Report provides guidance on
standards for determining the prudence of a utility’s hedging cost. The NRRI Report states,
“Second-guessing and micromanaging should be avoided.” It explains, “Second-guessing is
contrary to the traditional prudence standard, and in addition, creates distorted incentives for
utility hedging.” Instead, it recommends that, “[a]ccording to the prudence standard, a
commission should maintain authority to evaluate the reasonableness of (1) a hedging strategy ex
ante, and (2) the execution of the strategy.” The NRRI Report suggests that a Commission could
set an ex ante standard by, for example, defining an acceptable level of risk tolerance to price
volatility. The Company agrees with the NRRI Report’s recommended approach to
Commissions’ reviews of the prudence of the Company’s risk management policy and hedging
program and welcomes direction from the Commissions on the Company’s risk management
policy and hedging program on a going forward basis.
Dr. Frank Graves of The Brattle Group, retained by the Company to assess its risk management
policy and hedging program, summarized his general findings and conclusions as follows:
83 Independent Third-Party Evaluation of Net Power Cost Evaluation Rocky Mountain Power 2009 General Rate
Case, Prepared for Utah Division of Public Utilities, Prepared by Blue Ridge Consulting Services, Inc, Docket No.
09-035-23 (Utah PSC October 7, 2009) at 2. 84 Id. at p 2 and 26. 85 Gas Hedging Presentation to The Public Service Commission of Utah Technical Conference, Ken Costello, The
National Regulatory Research Institute, Docket No. 09-035-21 (Utah PSC June 3, 2009), available at:
http://www.psc.utah.gov/utilities/electric/09docs/0903521/TechConf%206-3-09/Gas%20Hedging.ppt%20
(UT%20PSC).pdf
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First, risk management is about controlling the potential width (and shape) of the
distribution of future costs and not about minimizing costs. Even though it is possible to
trim or avoid extreme prices with hedging, that trimming cannot reduce expected costs,
because the risk protections come at a fair price. What you gain from hedging as
avoided “downside” (bad) outcomes, you must lose as avoided “upside” (good)
outcomes as well, and vice versa for your hedging counterparty. The two, corresponding
positions must balance for no expected net gain. Thus, the minimization of energy costs
has nothing to do with good risk management practices.
Second, the Company’s hedging policies and practices, i.e. its analytic methods, risk
metrics and controls, and hedging instruments, are fully in line with good industry
practices. Like most electric utilities, the Company relies primarily on swaps purchased
in regular installments over time. This avoids attempts to second-guess or “time” the
market, while also assuring that hedges are steadily accrued, subject to risk-based
guidelines for the needed quantity of total hedges. Consistent adherence to these
methods, along with evidence of careful monitoring and control of the resulting risk
metrics (keeping them within appropriate bounds), are the relevant standards for
prudence review of the EBA costs the Company has incurred.
Third, U.S. natural gas markets in the late 2007 through 2011 period (when PacifiCorp
entered the hedges) were dominated by the unexpectedly rapid and inexpensive
development of shale gas, compounded by the credit crisis and deep recession. During
the first two years of this period there were few indications that shale gas would become
a major component of U.S. gas supply. Only towards the end of the period did it become
evident that shale gas would become a prominent and quite inexpensive part of the
natural gas supply in the U.S. Even natural gas exploration and production firms
aggressively leading the development of the hydraulic fracturing technology that caused
this price drop have been badly surprised by the rapid price reductions.86 Therefore, the
outlook for natural gas supply and prices were very different throughout the period
during which the hedges were entered than it is today. It is imperative that the merits of
a hedging program be evaluated based on the market conditions and information
availability as of the time of the transaction.
Fourth, it would not have been useful or normal for the Company to have liquidated any
of its prior hedges in the middle of this price decline. It might appear so in hindsight, but
the spot prices we ultimately observed are not similar to the way risks or expected costs
appeared at any time in the hedge procurement period. Utility companies should not and
do not generally liquidate hedges if/when the forward price curve shifts and causes prior
hedges to become “out of the money” (i.e. to have a higher cost than replacement
hedges). Because hedge positions are liquidated at prevailing prices, early liquidation
cannot be expected to benefit the Company or its customers; the expected alternative cost
(whether re-hedged or not) would have been the then prevailing forward prices – with no
net savings likely. (As it turns out, liquidation and not re-hedging, i.e. dramatically
86 For example, an August 2009 article in the New York Times cites senior management at exploration and
production companies that the continual drop puts the viability of smaller companies at risk. See Clifford Krauss,
“Natural Gas Price Plummet to a Seven-Year Low,” New York Times, August 21, 2009.
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increasing the Company’s risk exposure, would have been cheaper. But this can only be
known in hindsight, and pursuing this strategy would have been very speculative,
possibly in violation of company risk-control guidelines and prior regulatory agreements
about hedging activity.
Fifth, natural gas and power hedges should be considered together, which is what the
Company does. The literature and common practice in hedging is solidly on the side of
taking advantage of positions that predictably tend to offset each other, in order to
reduce the cost and scope of hedging transactions that are needed. Electric and gas
operations fit this model very nicely, in that they naturally tend to be correlated.
Separating them for review would create perverse and untenable incentives for both
regulation and operations.
Dr. Graves also described the purpose and overarching goal of risk management and hedging as
follows:
A hedge is a trade designed to reduce risk, where risk is understood to mean the potential
width (and shape) of the distribution of future costs (or revenues). Risk management is
NOT about improving (reducing) the mean of this distribution of future costs (nor about
increasing expected revenues). Risk also should not be confused with after-the-fact
regret about whether a hedge proved to be necessary or attractive relative to remaining
unhedged. In fact, risk and regret are mostly conflicting or competing goals, in that the
more you lock down future prices (reduce ex ante risk) the greater the chance of
eventually departing materially from the ex post cost of going unhedged. Conversely, if
you wanted to have no regret about realized spot prices being lower than your hedges,
than you should not hedge in the first place – but this would be risky! Some of the debate
in regulatory review about risk management prudence involves confusion between these
two concepts. However, the appropriate reference point is not the realized outcomes,
which can only be known in hindsight (and which will only be better or worse than the
hedges by luck), but the market information and outlook available at the time the hedges
and risk reduction targets were committed.
Commission Review
Six out of six commissions that regulate PacifiCorp have approved net power costs for at least
some portion of the 2012 calendar year period without any hedging disallowances. The Oregon
Commission in the 2011 Transition Adjustment Mechanism, Docket No. UE 227, in the face of
significant hindsight challenges from certain parties, found all of the Company’s hedge
transactions to be prudent and praised the Company’s risk management policy and hedge
program. Specifically, the Oregon Commission stated in the order:
The company's Risk Management Policy includes sound hedging goals, methodologies,
and targets. Its policies and procedures were well articulated, and its specific hedging
targets were made clear in advance to the company and its traders. Moreover, the
company's hedging program appears to be robustly designed and well documented. The
company provided ample contemporaneous documentation of the policies and
procedures in effect at the time the hedges were executed, including its method of
identifying, measuring, and managing risk, its hedging targets, its credit policies and
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procedures, and its approved portfolio structures, as well as detailed procedures
governing company enforcement of these policies.
Treatment of Customer and Investor Risks
The IRP standards and guidelines in Utah require that PacifiCorp “identify which risks will be
borne by ratepayers and which will be borne by shareholders.” This section addresses this
requirement. Three types of risk are covered: stochastic risk, capital cost risk, and scenario risk.
Stochastic Risk Assessment
Several of the uncertain variables that pose cost risks to different IRP resource portfolios are
quantified in the IRP production cost model using stochastic statistical tools. The variables
addressed with such tools include retail loads, natural gas prices, wholesale electricity prices,
hydroelectric generation, and thermal unit availability. Changes in these variables that occur over
the long-term are typically reflected in normalized revenue requirements and are thus borne by
customers. Unexpected variations in these elements are normally not reflected in rates, and are
therefore borne by investors unless specific regulatory mechanisms provide otherwise.
Consequently, over time, these risks are shared between customers and investors. Between rate
cases, investors bear these risks. Over a period of years, changes in prudently incurred costs will
be reflected in rates and customers will bear the risk.
Capital Cost Risks
The actual cost of a generating or transmission asset is expected to vary from the cost assumed in
the IRP. State commissions may determine that a portion of the cost of an asset was imprudent
and therefore should not be included in the determination of rates. The risk of such a
determination is borne by investors. To the extent that capital costs vary from those assumed in
this IRP for reasons that do not reflect imprudence by PacifiCorp, the risks are borne by
customers.
Scenario Risk Assessment
Scenario risk assessment pertains to abrupt or fundamental changes to variables that are
appropriately handled by scenario analysis as opposed to representation by a statistical process or
expected-value forecast. The single most important scenario risks of this type facing PacifiCorp
continues to be government actions related to CO2 emissions, renewable resources to meet
compliance requirement, change in load and transmission infrastructure. These scenario risks
relate to the uncertainty in predicting the scope, timing, and cost impact of CO2 emission and
renewable standard compliance rules.
To address these risks, the Company evaluates resources in the IRP and for competitive
procurements using a range of CO2 prices consistent with the scenario analysis methodology
adopted for the Company’s IRP portfolio evaluation process. The Company’s use of IRP
sensitivity analysis covering different resource policy and cost assumptions also addresses the
87 Order No. 11 435, Docket UE-227 (Ore. PUC [November 4, 2011]) at page 11.
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need for consideration of scenario risks for long-term resource planning. The extent to which
future regulatory policy shifts do not align with the Company’s resource investments determined
to be prudent by state commissions is a risk borne by customers.