A new renewable energy plant, and the first of its kind, is being commissioned in Lexington, OR. Learn more about it here.

By GILLIAN FLACCUS, Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A renewable energy plant being commissioned in Oregon on Wednesday that combines solar power, wind power and massive batteries to store the energy generated there is the first utility-scale plant of its kind in North America.

The project, which will generate enough electricity to power a small city at maximum output, addresses a key challenge facing the utility industry as the U.S. transitions away from fossil fuels and increasingly turns to solar and wind farms for power. Wind and solar are clean sources of power, but utilities have been forced…

Electric companies throughout Oregon are filing Wildfire Mitigation Plans. Learn more here.

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) – Electric utilities across Oregon have filed their first state-required Wildfire Mitigation Plans, designed to prevent and mitigate wildfire risk, with the Oregon Public Utility Commission, the agency said Friday.

The WMPs are the first to be filed since Senate Bill 762 passed during the 2021 legislative session, requiring plans for all electric utilities providing service in Oregon.

Senate Bill 762 established formal standards for electric utility wildfire mitigation plans, including the information utilities are required to include.

Plans must identify areas at high-risk for wildfires within the utility’s service territory and actions to minimize those risks, as well as protocols for implementing public safety…