Oregon's Renewable Portfolio Standard requires each electric utility to obtain at least 5 percent of the electricity they provide to Oregonians from qualifying renewable resources.
Those subject to RPS requirements must report on their compliance annually. Investor-owned utilities and electricity service suppliers submit annual compliance reports to the Oregon Public Utility Commission. Consumer-owned utilities report compliance to their customers, boards, or members.
Hydropower facilities make up a large and important part of Oregon's electricity resource mix — providing roughly 40 percent of the state's electricity. In some Oregon utility territories, hydropower provides more than 90 percent of consumers' electricity.
Most of this hydropower — from dams built decades ago — is not eligible for credit toward the state's Renewable Portfolio Standard, which was created to encourage the development of new renewable electricity resources. However, the RPS can include two types of electricity from these older but still critical hydro facilities: generation attributable to efficiency upgrades made at existing hydropower facilities after 1995 is eligible, as is generation from an existing facility if it became certified as a low-impact hydroelectric facility after 1995. Additionally, a utility's obligation under the RPS can potentially be reduced by the amount of hydropower they receive.
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