Northwest council proposes 11 GW of new generation, 5 GW storage by 2032

A regional planning group, the Northwest Power and Conservation Council, has released a draft plan for how Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana should meet growing electricity demand through 2032. The plan calls for building about 9 gigawatts of new renewable energy, 2.1 gigawatts of natural gas plants, and 5.2 gigawatts of battery storage, at an estimated fixed cost of $2.3 billion by 2032. The council expects electricity use in the region to grow roughly 50% over the next six years, driven largely by data centers in the near term and later by electric vehicles, buildings, and industry.

For homeowners, this plan mostly shapes what kind of power plants and batteries get built in the region over the next several years, not anything you need to do at home right now. The plan avoids new gas plants in Oregon and limits them in Washington, due to state rules, with most new gas development expected in Idaho and Montana. It also pushes the Bonneville Power Administration, the federal agency that sells power from the Columbia River dams, to favor renewables and batteries over new gas plants where possible.

The council will hold public hearings in all four states this September and October before finalizing the plan by early 2027. If you live in one of these states, this is the process that will influence your electricity supply and possibly rates in the coming years, though the draft does not include changes to homeowner programs, rebates, or bills.