Janine Benner, director of the Oregon Department of Energy, and Edith Baier, energy policy team lead, presented the state’s first comprehensive State Energy Strategy developed under HB 3630. The strategy uses modeling from technical contractors to evaluate portfolio paths for meeting Oregon’s energy policy objectives—affordable, reliable and cleaner energy—and proposes five parallel pathways: energy efficiency, clean electricity, electrification, low‑carbon fuels and resilience.

Benner said the strategy was informed by modeling, statute and broad public engagement, including an advisory group and technical advisors. Baier said consultants looked at economy‑wide effects across electricity, transportation and other fuels, and presented a reference scenario and alternative scenarios that all met the state’s goals but with different tradeoffs. Key takeaways cited to the committee included a modeled 22% reduction in overall energy demand by 2050 under the reference path, significant growth in electricity capacity needs (solar, wind and storage) to meet rising electricity demand, and a continued role for natural gas plants operating at lower capacity factors for system flexibility.

ODOE staff discussed jobs and land‑use implications: electricity‑sector jobs could increase while some transportation jobs shrink as electrification reduces maintenance demand for internal‑combustion fleets. The modeling showed utility‑scale solar and wind would require hundreds of square miles of land under some scenarios (roughly 300 square miles developed today, rising to 600 by 2035 and 800 by 2050 under the reference scenario), and that scenarios emphasizing distributed resources would reduce the land area needed.

Committee members asked about energy storage, transmission costs and the modeling assumption of regional dispatch (an RTO). ODOE acknowledged the model assumes an optimally dispatched regional grid for the Western region and said that assumption helps explore least‑cost pathways but that actual regional arrangements and transmission bottlenecks remain open policy questions. The agency urged the committee to use the strategy as a framework and to return for deeper conversations on particular actions in January.

Benner said the strategy includes 42 legislative and policy actions focused on the next four years, some of which can be carried out under existing authority while others will require legislative action or additional funding. The report also includes an Equity and Justice Framework and detailed engagement summaries from tribes and other stakeholders.

Legislators and agency staff agreed to continue detailed follow‑up on specific actions, modeling assumptions and implementation options.