Portland, Ore. — Portland General Electric Company (NYSE: POR) today announced the procurement of the Evergreen battery energy storage system, a new 75-MW facility to be located at a soon-to-be-constructed substation in Hillsboro, Oregon. This battery project, owned by PGE and built by Mortenson, is expected to begin service in 2024, adding critical non-emitting dispatchable capacity to Oregon’s clean energy transition.
This announcement builds on PGE’s recent procurement of 400 MW of battery projects PGE – the second-largest commitment to standalone energy storage made by any U.S. utility to date. Battery systems offer a number of grid benefits, providing flexibility and consistency as PGE integrates more intermittent renewable resources. Stored energy can be reliably deployed within seconds to customers during extreme weather events or times of high demand, reducing dependence on energy markets and fossil fuel generation.
“Mortenson is proud to be helping PGE build a clean energy future for their customers by adding energy storage to the grid” said Brent Bergland, vice president, project development at Mortenson. “Projects like Evergreen enable greater use of renewable energy and are a powerful way to help decarbonize our planet, and our energy storage team is excited to engineer, procure, construct and deliver a complete world-class facility to PGE.”
The Evergreen facility represents the final procurement from PGE’s 2021 Request for Proposal (RFP), which resulted in landmark projects including the 311 MW Clearwater Wind Farm, scheduled to begin operations by the end of 2023.
“From Clearwater to Evergreen, Portland General Electric is building Oregon’s clean energy future,” said Maria Pope, PGE President & CEO. “Our wind, solar, hydro and battery storage facilities work together as part of a resilient grid to provide safe and reliable energy while helping us to manage costs.”
Earlier this month, PGE filed its 2023 Draft RFP with the Oregon Public Utility Commission, initiating the process to bring new clean energy resources online. PGE expects to seek bids for additional non-emitting dispatchable capacity resources, like batteries, which will continue to play a growing role in the utility’s portfolio, as well as renewable generation projects, such as wind and solar farms. Most importantly, the draft RFP aims to maximize reliability and customer value by seeking to procure projects that can leverage Bonneville Power Administration’s long-term transmission capacity to deliver energy to PGE customers.
Together, these actions demonstrate PGE’s continued focus on decarbonization while prioritizing reliability and managing costs for customers.
About Portland General Electric Company
Portland General Electric (NYSE: POR) is a fully integrated energy company that generates, transmits and distributes electricity to over 900,000 customers in 51 cities across the state of Oregon. For more than 130 years, Portland General Electric (PGE) has powered the advancement of society, delivering safe, affordable, reliable and increasingly clean energy. To deliver on its strategy and meet state targets, PGE and its approximately 3,000 employees committed to partnering with stakeholders to achieve at least an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from power served to customers by 2030 and 100% reduction by 2040. PGE customers set the standard for prioritizing clean energy with the No. 1 voluntary renewable energy program in the country. Additionally, for the fifth year in a row, PGE was recognized by the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index which highlights companies committed to creating a more equal and inclusive workplace. As a reflection of the company’s commitment to the community it serves, in 2022, PGE employees, retirees and the PGE Foundation donated nearly $5.5 million and volunteered more than 18,000 hours with more than 400 nonprofits across Oregon.
About Mortenson
Mortenson is a U.S.-based, top-20 developer, builder and engineering services provider serving the commercial, institutional, and energy sectors. Mortenson’s expanding portfolio of integrated services helps its customers move their strategies forward, ensuring their investments result in high-performing assets. The result is a turnkey partner, fully invested in the business success of its customers.
