Oregon Could Face Electricity Blackouts While Balancing Demand with Supply
Electricity blackouts could be on the horizon for residents of the Pacific Northwest. So warns an industry consultant with 30 years of experience in the field.
Although the Northwest has long enjoyed a stable electricity grid, city planners have been warned that problems could arise in the future to balance demand with supply.
Energy-Hungry Data Centers are Complicating the Scenario
Complicating the supply grid scenario are energy-hungry data centers that consume vast amounts of electricity, combined with coal plant shutdowns as Oregon moves towards clean energy.
As Northwest Power braces to meet increased energy demands during the cold winter months, it has been alerted to the need to build additional transmission lines throughout the Northwest region.
Earlier this year, Northwest Power and Conservation Council’s Power Committee met in Portland, Oregon, to discuss changing trends and future demands on the electricity grid.
The Region has Attracted 4 Million New Residents Since 2000
The Pacific Northwest has grown by an additional four million residents since 2000, stimulating economic and industrial growth.
The advent of data centers, computer chip manufacturing, and electric vehicles have added the most demands on power supplies.
This has prompted the Conservation Council to develop electricity demand forecasts – a short-term outlook to 2029, and a longer-term 20-year forecast to monitor changes in energy use in all sectors.
In the shorter term, attention will be focused on rooftop solar to offset growing energy demands in other sectors. If exploited to its full capacity across the region, small-scale projects can provide 4,000 megawatts of power annually.
While demand for energy by electric vehicles remains manageable, the popularity of EVs is growing, and by the end of 2023 Oregon and Washington accounted for 95% of all electric vehicles registered in the Pacific Northwest.
Simultaneously, tech companies in Oregon’s ‘Silicon Forest’ region in Hillsboro, outside Portland, are expanding data centers and chip manufacturing capabilities, adding further strain to their lion’s share demand on the electricity grid.
Takeaway
The Conservation Council will continue working with its Demand Forecasting Advisory Committee to research methods to address future load demands and to explore opportunities to develop energy-efficient responses at chip manufacturing plants and data centers.