Implementing the Oregon Energy Strategy

Oregon’s current supply of electricity generating facilities will not be sufficient to meet rapidly rising demand for electricity from various sources, including data centers and electrification. More resources are needed. The Oregon Energy Strategy recognizes this imperative: “To reliably serve Oregon’s current and growing electricity needs, the electricity system must expand.”

EO 25-29 section I(2)(a) directs ODOE, in coordination with the Oregon Public Utility Commission and the Department of Land Conservation and Development, to “inventory, assess, and analyze barriers to the permitting, construction and interconnection of clean energy projects and associated infrastructure” and “recommend actions to overcome those barriers while balancing opportunities for public participation with the state’s interest in accelerating deployment of clean energy infrastructure that benefits Oregon ratepayers.”  

ODOE has adopted two definitions to target this report’s scope. First, ODOE defines “clean energy projects and associated infrastructure” to mean proposed clean energy facilities that received siting approval from EFSC (via an approved site certificate) or from a county, but are not built or under construction. Specifically, this report focuses on proposed wind, solar, and battery storage facilities with a nameplate capacity over 20 megawatts.

Second, ODOE defines “barriers to the permitting … of clean energy projects” to include consideration of barriers that may arise in permitting processes that are outside EFSC’s jurisdiction and are not required to be completed prior to receipt of an approved site certificate from EFSC or an approved county land-use permit. It does not examine any aspect of EFSC’s processes (including site certificate amendment requirements), nor any aspect of Tribal consultation requirements that must be met before EFSC issues a site certificate or a county issues a land use permit.