Relating to microgrids; prescribing an effective date.
HB 2064 would create a new statutory framework in Oregon to support microgrids and community microgrids. The bill defines key terms such as microgrid, community microgrid, microgrid operator, energy resource, and front-of-meter resources, and then directs state agencies and local governments to take actions that make it easier to develop, connect, and operate these systems.
At the utility level, the bill requires the Public Utility Commission to investigate and establish standards for reasonable shared costs for community energy resilience provided by microgrids, allow redundant infrastructure that supports community microgrids, approve qualifying community microgrids that enhance resilience and support critical infrastructure during emergencies, and permit microgrid operators to run microgrids independently from the electric grid during and after disruptions. It also requires the Department of Consumer and Business Services to adopt building code rules that support integration of buildings with community microgrids. In addition, local governments would be allowed to adopt land use regulations for microgrid zones and designate geographic areas as microgrid zones, subject to PUC approval, including through intergovernmental agreements across jurisdictions.
The bill would add new provisions to ORS chapters 757, 455, and 197, expanding state authority over microgrid planning, utility regulation, building code standards, and land use coordination. It would not directly mandate construction of microgrids, but it would create a legal pathway for cost recovery, infrastructure approval, building integration, and local zoning tools that could facilitate microgrid deployment and operation across Oregon.
No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no direct evidence of debate or formal support/opposition in the available record. Based on the bill text, the measure appears oriented toward resilience, emergency preparedness, and modernization of energy infrastructure, suggesting a generally pro-microgrid policy approach.
The main likely points of contention are the cost-recovery framework for microgrid owners or operators, the role of the Public Utility Commission in approving community microgrids and microgrid zones, and the extent to which local governments and utilities should be able to designate and operate infrastructure that can function independently of the broader electric grid. Potential concerns may also involve ratepayer impacts, utility coordination, land use authority, and whether the bill could shift costs to customers who do not directly use a microgrid.