Oregon Department of Energy briefs committee on state energy strategy, modeling and stakeholder process

Oregon Department of Energy staff on April 21 briefed the Senate Committee on Energy and Environment on progress developing the Oregon Energy Strategy, a statutorily required planning document to identify pathways for meeting the state's energy and greenhouse gas goals.

Jessica Rikers, manager of the technology and policy team at the Oregon Department of Energy, told the committee the strategy is directed by the 2023 Legislature in House Bill 3630 and will draw on technical modeling, stakeholder engagement and several targeted analyses. "The strategy will identify pathways that help the state achieve its energy objectives," she said, and noted energy consumption and production account for a large share of the state's greenhouse gas emissions.

The department contracted with the Clean Energy Transition Institute (CETI) for modeling and with Evolved Energy Research for energy-system…