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Pacificorp IRP excludes many speculative large loads from optimization; stakeholders press company on tax credit window and procurement
Summary
Pacificorp said the core 2025 IRP optimization excluded many speculative large meter loads, treating them instead through separate tariff or special‑contract processes; stakeholders warned that omission can materially change transmission and generation outcomes.
Pacificorp told stakeholders that, for planning clarity and to avoid producing misleading market signals, its 2025 IRP optimization excluded many speculative large meter loads (such as data centers) that Pacificorp expects will be served through special contract or tariff processes.
Why it matters: large loads can materially change transmission and generation requirements. If large loads are modeled as part of system optimization, they can alter long‑lead transmission planning and change which resources are economic systemwide.
Company position: Pacificorp presenters explained the company treated highly uncertain large load proposals as a separate sensitivity rather than including them in the principal integrated optimization. Joe Dallas (Pacificorp) and other presenters said the company’s expectation—based on recent policy in Oregon and other jurisdictions—is that many large customers will need to bring or pay for dedicated resources and associated transmission, and that modeling them as general system resources could mislead market participants.
Stakeholder concerns: Commissioners and stakeholders said removing large loads from the primary IRP run can understate system resource needs (generation and transmission) and produce a deficient view of system benefits and least‑cost transmission alternatives. Stakeholders pointed to the IRP’s “large load” sensitivity, which included a near‑complete set of speculative large loads and showed substantially more transmission projects would be needed; stakeholders described that sensitivity as an extreme scenario and requested intermediate scenarios that reflect a more realistic pace of large load additions.
Tax credits and near‑term procurement: Several regulators and stakeholders asked whether the company is actively evaluating near‑term procurement to capture available federal tax credits (ITC/PTC) before rules or credit availability change. Pacificorp said the IRP is a snapshot and not a procurement directive but stated the company reviews actual project opportunities outside the IRP. Joe Dallas told stakeholders the company is considering opportunities but did not announce a specific procurement plan; stakeholders urged Pacificorp to evaluate near‑term buys because the tax credit window is time‑limited and could yield material customer savings.
Ending: Pacificorp committed to provide additional information via data requests and acknowledged it will continue to evaluate large load proposals and near‑term procurement opportunities outside the IRP snapshot. Stakeholders requested intermediate large‑load sensitivities and more transparency on expected market purchases and contracted resources.
