Puget Sound Energy seeks proposals for more than 1,500 MW of wind, solar and energy storage resources

Puget Sound Energy wants new energy resources for its Washington customers and has accordingly issued a new request for proposals (RFP) for new energy and capacity of up to 1,669 GW hours and 1,506 MW of capacity resources.

The first all-source RFP issued since the passage of Washington’s Clean Energy Transformation Act (CETA), this effort will see qualified parties bid to meet Puget’s long-range electricity needs. Any electric or energy storage resources that can meet all or part of these needs will be considered, so long as their bids arrive by Sept. 1, 2021. An additional draft targeted Distributed Energy Resources RFP is planned for November.

“The region is growing, and it’s important that we acquire resources that will meet those demands and ensure we keep the lights on and homes heated on the coldest days of the year,” Ron Roberts, PSE’s senior vice president of energy supply, said. “As we continue to reduce carbon emissions and further expand our renewable energy supplies, our RFP emphasizes bids for fairly-priced new resources that will protect the environment as well as our customers’ pocketbooks.”

Since CETA was passed in 2019, PSE has moved to adapt, launching a Beyond Net Zero Carbon energy goal earlier this year. As part of that goal, the company aims to cut its carbon emissions to net zero and help other sectors to reduce carbon emissions throughout the state. CETA itself mandated that coal-fired resources within Washington would be eliminated by Dec. 31, 2025, and that all electricity would be carbon free by 2045.

As a result, in its latest RFP, PSE has admitted to a strong preference for renewable resources.