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% of EWEB’s energy comes from the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), and the utility is negotiating a new BPA contract that will take effect in 2028. Locally owned hydropower projects also play a role: EWEB is decommissioning the Lieberg hydroelectric project on the Lower McKenzie River and continuing to invest in the more-flexible Carmen Smith project upstream, which EWEB uses to meet peak demand.

On distribution, Orlowski said EWEB is rebuilding about 10 substations (of 38 total) because many date from the 1950s–1970s; the largest recently completed is the Kern Substation near 105 and Garden Way. He said roughly half of EWEB’s local distribution is already underground, and that comprehensive undergrounding would be costly and could conflict with affordability goals.

Smart meters are nearly fully deployed in Eugene, Orlowski said, with installations in the McKenzie Valley scheduled next. The meters, he said, are a prerequisite for demand-response programs that could shift EV charging or adjust thermostats voluntarily to reduce peak loads. “These programs need to be voluntary,” Orlowski said, describing pilot concepts such as smart-thermostat or EV-charging sign-ups that would shift usage away from system peaks.

Committee members asked about microgrids, batteries and whole-home backup options. Orlowski said microgrids are “more in the research phase” for many places and noted a related concept, “virtual power plants,” which aggregate customer-sited flexibility (batteries, smart chargers, thermostats) to behave like a resource. EWEB currently offers a loan program for backup power and targets assistance to upriver areas such as the McKenzie Valley, Orlowski said, but the utility does not yet have capability to call on customer battery systems during peaks.

Committee discussion also touched on customer costs and equity: Orlowski said EWEB’s electric rates rose about 8% in February to pay for infrastructure investment, and that the utility must balance resilience upgrades against affordability. Members raised practical concerns about reliance on level‑1 chargers and how many customers can afford level‑2 charging infrastructure; EWEB staff said smart, voluntary programs and targeted rebates are under consideration and that staff maintain a rebates webpage (eweb.org/saveenergy).

The subcommittee concluded by voting to approve a staff memo to City Council—described in the meeting as the committee’s policy/information memo on household backup options and resilience—to be included in next week’s council packet. A motion to approve the memo as drafted by city staff was moved by Danielle (staff member) and seconded by Adrian (committee member); no abstentions or opposing votes were recorded and the motion passed.

The presentation and the committee’s vote will feed into the subcommittee’s planned public-facing fact sheet on backup options and the policy memo to City Council. Orlowski said EWEB expects to continue developing demand-response pilots and customer-facing programs as the region’s demand patterns evolve.