by
Rachel Hansen | Nov 26, 2025
WENATCHEE, WA – Chelan PUD commissioners are reviewing three major plans that show how the utility will meet — or is already meeting — Washington state’s clean energy goals. The public can comment on these plans through Dec. 8. Below is a simple overview of each plan.
Integrated Resource Plan (IRP)
The IRP is a state-required report updated every two years. It requires utilities to forecast energy demand and show how the utility plans to supply that energy for the next 10 years.
Chelan PUD expects to have more than enough power to serve local customers through 2034. Energy use from homes, businesses and industries — which are served primarily by Chelan PUD’s hydropower — is expected to grow between .08% and 1.32% a year. That’s roughly the equivalent of adding about 50 to 1,200 homes a year.
Demand from large, power-intensive industries — such as data centers — is expected to grow exponentially. To protect existing customers, Chelan PUD created a large-load framework to ensure that large loads pay the full cost of the power they need without affecting the rates or reliability of other customers.
The framework gives potential large-load customers three options for power supply. Two of the options rely on open market energy, which is imported from outside of Chelan County. A third option, at the sole discretion of Chelan PUD commissioners, is the potential to negotiate an energy contract if power is available from the PUD’s surplus energy portfolio.
Conservation Potential Assessment (CPA)
The CPA is a 10-year plan that details how utilities set and achieve their targets to save energy. Chelan PUD has exceeded its energy-savings goal by 73% over the past decade.
Chelan PUD’s new two-year target is expected to save an additional 1.71 average megawatts through its conservation programs by 2027. The most cost-effective energy savings are expected to come from heating system upgrades for homes and commercial buildings.
Clean Energy Implementation Plan
The CEIP, required every four years, shows how Chelan PUD will remove all carbon emissions from its energy supply by 2045. It also focuses on making clean energy benefits fair and accessible for everyone.
State law requires that utilities eliminate the use of coal by 2026. By 2030, utilities must certify that at least 80% of the energy used to serve customers is carbon-free. Chelan PUD already meets those standards.
To ensure fair access to clean energy, the PUD convened an advisory team of local nonprofit and social service leaders. The team helped identify vulnerable groups, such as:
- Low-income households
- Moderate-income households that don’t qualify for aid
- Families that spend more than 6% of their income on energy
After consulting with the advisory team, PUD staff recommended:
- A new bill assistance program for income-qualified customers
- Expanding access to energy efficiency assistance and rebate programs for low-to-moderate income households and businesses
- Expanding participation in ComfortPlus, a PUD-sponsored program to help low-income households lower energy bills through home upgrades that boost efficiency
- Improving indoor air quality in homes that participate in ComfortPlus
All three plans are available at Chelanpud.org for public review. The next public hearing will be at the board meeting: 10:15 a.m. on Dec. 1 at the Service Center, 203 Olds Station Road in Wenatchee. The board will vote on the plans Dec. 15.
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