EWEB outlines investments to keep Eugene power reliable; sustainability subcommittee approves memo to council

At a meeting of the Eugene Sustainability Commission subcommittee (date not specified), Aaron Orlowski, communications supervisor at the Eugene Water and Electric Board, described EWEB’s investments in generation and distribution to preserve service during severe weather and rising demand. After the presentation the committee voted to approve a staff memo to City Council summarizing the group’s work on household backup options and related policy considerations.

Orlowski said EWEB’s current reliability is “about 99.4%,” and that the utility supplies roughly 90% carbon-free power most years. “Our primary goal is to make sure that those backup sources are needed as rarely as possible,” he said, adding EWEB’s near-term aim is to keep reliability high while increasing carbon-free supply toward 95%.

The presentation described where EWEB gets energy, major local generation and distribution investments, and programs that could help match supply and demand as electrification progresses. Orlowski said about 80%…