PURPA

What is PURPA

In 1978, Congress passed the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA) to encourage fuel diversity via alternative energy sources and to introduce competition into the electric sector. The legislation originally encouraged industrial waste heat recovery and renewable energy resource development by small, non-utility power producers called "Qualifying Facilities" or "QFs." Now, wind and solar developers use PURPA to sell power at “avoided cost” rates to Oregon’s utilities. Although PURPA is a federal law, states are responsible for implementing significant aspects of the law, and Oregon has enacted its own complementary legislation in ORS 758.505, among others. 

PUC PURPA Dockets & Orders

View the links below for additional information on PURPA-related dockets and orders in Oregon.

UM 1129 – PURPA Investigation

• Order No. 05-584 - Calculating avoided costs; standard terms for small QFs
• Order No. 06-538 - Review and approval of standard contracts (See Errata Order No. 06-586) 
• Order No. 07-360 - Large QF guidelines

UM 1396 – Resource Sufficiency

• Order No. 10-488 - Investigation into resource sufficiency/deficiency
• Order No. 11-505 - Renewable avoided cost rate

UM 1401 – Standard Interconnection less than 20 MW

• Order No. 10-132

UM 1610 – General Investigation

• Order No. 14-058 - As corrected by Order No. 14-114
• Order No. 14-229 - Reconsideration denied
• Order No. 15-130 - Stipulation resolving some issues adopted
• Order No. 16-175 - Order adopting updates to methodology

UM 2000 – General Investigation

• This investigation was initiated by Order No. 19-051.

Qualified Facility Disputes

• UM 1442 – Review of PacifiCorp’s Avoided Costs (Order No. 09-427)
• UM 1443 – Review of PGE’s Avoided Costs (Order No. 09-507)
• UM 1449 – International Paper v. PacifiCorp (Order No. 09-439)
• UE 235 – Third party Transmission Costs Closed without order (See 12/21/2012 Ruling in UM 1610)
• UM 1546 – Three mile Canyon Wind LLC v PacifiCorp (Order No. 14-292)
• UM 1725 - Idaho Power, Application to Lower the Standard Contract Eligibility Cap and Reduce the Standard Contract Term (Order No. 16-129)
• UM 1731 - Pacific Northwest Solar, LLC against Idaho Power (Order No. 15-285)
• UM 1733 - Gardner Capital Solar Development, LLC vs Idaho Power (Order No. 15-355)
• UM 1734 - PacifiCorp QF Contract Term and Eligibility Cap (Order No. 16-130)