OLYMPIA, Washington, June 11 (TNSsro) The Washington State Utilities and Transportation Commission issued the following order (No. UE-200420):In the Matter of the Petition of PACIFICORP d/b/a PACIFIC POWER & LIGHT COMPANY, Petitioner, Regarding 2021 Integrated Resource Plan ComplianceORDER 02 REQUIRING COMPLIANCE WITH INTEGRATED RESOURCE PLAN STATUTES AND RULESBACKGROUND1
Dive Brief:
Puget Sound Energy s new long-term resource plan is failing to live up to the promise of Washington state s ambitious clean energy legislation by leaving the door open for more carbon dioxide-emitting resources, according to environmental advocates and Washington residents.
The debate over PSE s draft integrated resource plan (IRP), seen at a Feb. 26 meeting held by Washington regulators, is the latest example of a conflict over the degree to which natural gas will be needed to back up renewable energy, and whether or not using alternative forms of natural gas like biogas alleviates emissions concerns.
The IRP serves as a launching pad for how PSE, the state s largest utility, will implement Washington s 2019 Clean Energy Transformation Act (CETA), which requires utilities to transition toward carbon neutrality by 2030 and 100% clean energy by 2045. PSE and other Washington utilities must file their first CETA implementation plans by Oct. 1, and the plan must be consis