Dive Brief:

• Environmentalists in Oregon are decrying a plan by Portland General Electric (PGE) to add gas capacity to replace coal generation, saying it would violate the spirit of a partnership they agreed to in order to minimize fossil fuel use, Portland Business Journal reports. 
• Earlier this year, Oregon passed legislation mandating a 50% by 2040 renewable portfolio standard, and PGE committed reduce its use of fossil fuels and add carbon-free sources. But the utility has proposed adding a new gas unit, in addition to renewables, to replace the coal power.
• Environmentalists say the new gas unit would violate the spirit of an agreement they reached with the utility. On the other hand, PGE told the Portland Business Journal it is shocked at the response, and is ahead of its decarbonization schedule.

Dive Insight:

A proposal in Oregon to replace coal with a mix of gas and renewables has left the Sierra Club taking shots at PGE, while the utility maintains it has done nothing wrong. The debate underscores the difficulty in leaving behind fossil fuels entirely, and the diverging paths the energy sector and climate advocates see for the power sector's future. 

“Earlier this year PGE came to the table and committed to sunset their coal use in Oregon and double their clean energy commitments. They were given clear incentives to commit to renewables to meet their energy needs,” Amy Hojnowski, senior campaign representative for the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign, said in a statement. “Less than seven months later they’ve already violated the spirit of our partnership by proposing huge new investments in fossil fuel infrastructure."

A draft of PGE's Integrated Resource Plan, filed in September, included plans for 420 MW of new gas fired capacity at the Carty station. But the utility said they are ahead of schedule when it comes to adding renewables into the mix. The IRP includes more than 200 MW of demand response and energy efficiency efforts, with plans to shut down its 600 MW Boardman coal-fired plant in 2020. 

Dave Robertson, PGE's vice president for public policy, told Portland Business Journal he was "shocked" by the comments from Sierra Club.

 "I think that's completely untrue," Robertson told the news site. "I'm a little shocked they sent this out this way."

According to Sierra Club, the utility's draft IRP is also being examined by the advocacy group Citizens Utility Board as well as other stakeholders.