Heat sparks energy debate

Coal and wind power not available to PGE when it needed them the most

By Jim Redden

The Portland Tribune, Aug 13, 2009, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (13 Reader comments)

L.E. BASKOW / TRIBUNE PHOTO

PGE’s Bigelow Wind Project south of Rufus in the Columbia River Gorge is one of many wind farms dotting the Northwest, but the turbines don’t always spin when needed.

When the record-breaking heat wave struck in late July, Portland General Electric officials were looking at a worst-case scenario.

Consecutive days of triple-digit temperatures pushed the region’s electricity demand to an all-time high. By 5 p.m. on July 29, peak electricity use reached 3,950 megawatts — more than 17 percent above a typical July day. The demand shattered the previous summer record of 3,790 megawatts set in mid-August 2008.

“A major driver of that demand was air-conditioning, which is now included in all new construction,” says PGE spokesman Steve Corson.

But because of bad timing, PGE was not able to tap a major source of its power during the heat wave. Two coal-powered plants partly owned by the utility were not running. Both the 585-megawatt Boardman Power Plant and the 740-megawatt Colstrip plant in Montana were down for maintenance.

Adding to PGE’s woes, the heat wave also knocked out most of the region’s wind turbines. As the temperatures rose, the wind simply stopped blowing hard enough to spin the turbines.

“We’re now getting around 4 percent of our power from wind turbines, but they weren’t doing much of anything (during the heat),” Corson says.

Fortunately for heat-weary residents, PGE was able to find more than enough electricity to meet even the record demand. Hydroelectric power was available from the Bonneville Power Administration. Several utility-owned natural gas plants were still operating. And — most important of all — ample surplus electricity was available for sale from California and other nearby states.

“The heat wave was very localized,” Corson says. “It was not nearly as hot in California or desert Southwest as it was here.”

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