Recent updates
- 2022 Natural Gas Price Forecast Update (May 2022)
2021 Power Plan
- The 2021 Power Plan has been published! See the Plan and supporting material
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
- Survey and additional follow up (2021)
- DEI in the 2021 Power Plan (2020)
- Natural gas and other fuels workbooks and data (2021, contact Steve Simmons with any questions)
- Staff recommendation on upstream methane for 2021 Power Plan (2020)
- Paper on approach to upstream methane emissions and power planning (2020)
- Methane data (2020)
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Background
The US Energy Information Administration (EIA.gov) defines Fuel as ”any material substance that can be consumed to supply heat or power. Included are petroleum, coal, and natural gas (the fossil fuels) and other consumable materials, such as uranium, biomass, and hydrogen.” The Fuel Cycle is defined as “the entire set of sequential processes or stages involved in the utilization of fuel, including extraction, transformation, transportation, and combustion. Emissions generally occur at each stage of the fuel cycle.”
Fuels, including natural gas, and the fuel cycle play an important role in both the forecast of electricity demands and the cost of electricity generation. The Fuels Advisory Committee is being formed to assist the Council in the development and implementation of the Northwest Conservation and Electric Power Plan (power plan) by advising on important assumptions and analyses regarding fuels in the region and the associated fuel cycle.
Note: This committee formerly named the Natural Gas Advisory Committee