Introduction

Please note: NW Natural will continue to consider applications for the Technical Working Group on a rolling basis. All applications received before 9:00a.m. on Sep. 23, 2024 will be considered for the first meeting of the Technical Working Group, to be scheduled in mid-October 2024.

Northwest Natural is convening a Technical Working Group (TWG) to collect specialized advice to support NW Natural’s Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) development.

The IRP is a long-term planning tool that helps NW Natural assess how to meet future energy services. IRPs look at a range of potential futures, guided by the economic, political, and technological landscape in which the company operates. The plan is derived from a rigorous analytical process that follows three broad steps:
  1. Forecasting NW Natural customers’ future energy, capacity, and environmental compliance needs
  2. Determining the resource options available to meet NW Natural customer needs, inclusive of both resource options that help reduce the amount of gas our customers use (demand-side resources) and options that help us deliver energy (supply-side resources) and meet emissions compliance obligations (both demand and supply-side resources).
  3. Identifying the portfolio of resources with the best combination of cost and risk for our customers.
NW Natural conducts the IRP process approximately every two years and files the IRP with the Oregon Public Utilities Commission and Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission.
NW Natural’s IRP is prepared by an in-house team. The external advisors on the Technical Working Group provide NW Natural’s in-house team with specialized technical input on the development of the IRP.

Specifically, the TWG:
  • Provides expert technical advice and feedback on key topics related to resource planning such as but not limited to:
    • Resource needs, including in relation to load forecast and resource adequacy
    • Supply- and demand-side resources
    • Meeting regulatory requirements
    • Resource alternatives
  • Supports NW Natural in performing candidate portfolio evaluations
  • Offers comments and recommendations on final portfolio results
  • Provides expert technical advice on any other topics related to IRP development
This application should take no more than 10 minutes to complete. We appreciate you taking the time to apply.

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