City pushes Prineville renewable energy project as local power constraints complicate data-center growth
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Summary
Council members and staff discussed the city’s proposed 43-megawatt biomass-renewable energy facility, the need for a power purchase agreement and regional power transmission limits as data-center demand grows.
City officials described local efforts to advance a proposed Prineville renewable energy project and said the project’s launch hinges on securing a power purchase agreement (PPA) and addressing regional transmission and generation constraints.
Members of council and staff said local land and development packages for a proposed 43-megawatt facility are in place and that permitting (including air permits) and site-consistency work with partners is near complete. Staff emphasized the need for a PPA before the project can proceed. “We need…a PPA to launch the project. Correct,” a council member asked; staff confirmed that a PPA is required to move forward.
Council discussion also focused on broader regional energy questions: rapid growth in data-center demand has strained available transmission and local-generation options, staff said, and some legislators and staff in Salem were reported as reluctant to approve on-site nuclear generation. City leaders urged a “full court press” to seek federal, state and utility-level support—and to pursue potential congressional-directed funding, utility partnerships and a power-purchase partner—to get the project to financing and construction stages.
No formal council action was taken; staff said they will continue to pursue a PPA, legislative engagement and potential federal funding sources.