Washington Administrative Code › Title 480 - Utilities and Transportation Commission › Chapter 480-100 - Electric companies › Part VIII - PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION › Section 480-100-620 - Content of an integrated resource plan

Current through Register Vol. 24-14, July 15, 2024
(1)
Purpose.
Consistent with
				chapters 80.28, 19.280, and 19.405 RCW, each electric utility has the
				responsibility to identify and meet its resource needs with the lowest
				reasonable cost mix of conservation and efficiency, generation, distributed
				energy resources, and delivery system investments to ensure the utility
				provides energy to its customers that is clean, affordable, reliable, and
				equitably distributed. At a minimum, integrated resource plans must include the
				components listed in this rule. Unless otherwise stated, the assessments,
				evaluations, and forecasts should be over an appropriate planning
				horizon.
(2)
Load
				forecast.
The IRP must include a range of forecasts of projected
				customer demand that reflect the effect of economic forces on the consumption
				of electricity and address changes in the number, type, and efficiency of end
				uses of electricity.
(3)
Distributed energy resources.
(a)
				The IRP must include assessments of a variety of distributed energy resources.
				These assessments must incorporate nonenergy costs and benefits not fully
				valued elsewhere within any integrated resource plan model. Utilities must
				assess the effect of distributed energy resources on the utility's load and
				operations under
				RCW
				19.280.030(1)(h). The
				commission strongly encourages utilities to engage in a distributed energy
				resource planning process as described in
				RCW
				19.280.100. If the utility elects to use a
				distributed energy resource planning process, the IRP should include a summary
				of the results.
(b) The required
				distributed energy resource assessments must include the following:
(i) Energy efficiency and conservation
				potential assessment - The IRP must assess currently employed and potential
				policies and programs needed to obtain all cost-effective conservation,
				efficiency, and load management improvements, including the ten-year
				conservation potential used in calculating a biennial conservation target under
				chapter 480-109 WAC;
(ii) Demand
				response potential assessment - The IRP must assess currently employed and new
				policies and programs needed to obtain all cost-effective demand
				response;
(iii) Energy assistance
				potential assessment - The IRP must include distributed energy programs and
				mechanisms identified pursuant to
				RCW
				19.405.120, which pertains to energy
				assistance and progress toward meeting energy assistance need; and
(iv) Other distributed energy resource
				potential assessments - The IRP must assess other distributed energy resources
				that may be installed by the utility or the utility's customers including, but
				not limited to, energy storage, electric vehicles, and photovoltaics. Any such
				assessment must include the effect of distributed energy resources on the
				utility's load and operations.