Portland committee reviews citywide electrification plan, highlights grid and equity challenges

The Climate Resilience and Land Use Committee heard an overview March 27 of city staff’s strategy to accelerate electrification of buildings and transportation while flagging constraints posed by the electric grid and utility planning.

Eric Kingstrom, director of the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, introduced the presentations from bureau staff and consultants and said the city is operating “in a framework where we would… transition to full electrification” but that “there’s a long way to go.”

City staff told the committee the local goal for 100% renewable electricity has been advanced in recent years: a 2017 resolution set a goal to reach 100% renewable electricity by 2035 and the 2020 climate emergency declaration pushed the city toward a 2030 target. Staff stressed that state law passed in recent years requires retail electricity providers to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with electricity sold in Oregon, and that utilities must file clean energy plans that demonstrate progress. Andrea Jacob, climate policy manager at the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, said those state actions help but also make the city “more reliant on the utilities and state regulators to get there for us.”

Why this matters: Transportation and buildings together account for most city emissions, and staff said grid decarbonization will be the “big blue wedge” that enables wide electrification. Committee members sought detail about the limits of local authority, possible timelines for building rules and how the city will ensure charging access is equitable.

Grid and utility constraints

City staff described multiple constraints outside municipal control. Jacob…