Report to the US Department of Energy on the role of Integrated Resource Plans (IRPs) in a rapidly changing electric industry

摘要

During the past five years, a growing number of state public utility commissions (PUCs) have required that electric utilities prepare Integrated Resource Plans (IRPs). The National Energy Policy Act of 1992 added emphasis to this trend by requiring that states and electric utilities consider specific criteria for IRP, and that the Department of Energy (DOE) expand its IRP activities. Meanwhile, the electric industry has begun undergoing major changes, including increased competition and potential changes in the structure of the industry, that will affect the ability of electric utilities to prepare and implement IRPs of the type required by many PUCs and contemplated by the National Energy Policy Act of 1992. These new realities, particularly the more-rapid-than-expected increases in competition in the industry raise fundamental questions and issues concerning the viability of current federal and state IRP requirements. These need attention by state PUCs, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and, possibly, the Congress.