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Battery Storage and the Rediscovery of Non-Firm Utility Service for New Large Loads
Wednesday May 14, 2025 2:30pm - 3:30pm PDT
Windsor C
This session will discuss recent utility proposals for non-firm energy, the historical practice of utility curtailments, customer responses, and possible solutions. It will also address the legal issues, benefits, and challenges of providing and utilizing this interruptible energy service.   

Electric utility load projections have skyrocketed over the last few years. Traditional “duty to serve” utilities are desperate to find creative ways to meet this new demand while still complying with their renewable resource mandates and greenhouse gas limits. Fueled by mounting requests to power new data centers and clean tech manufacturing and restrained by transmission limits, climate initiatives, the intermittency of solar and wind generation, and a load curve that peaks just as the sun goes down, utilities are looking to revive and repackaging the practice of offering non-firm, interruptible, service for new large loads. Something that was more compatible with aluminum factories and paper mills that could shut down production lines or ramp up cogeneration, non-firm service allows a utility to curtail large customers during peak demand to balance the grid. Unlike these industries of old, however, this new large demand cannot just shut down, and running traditional diesel backup generation would violate climate-driven requirements.  A possible solution is battery storage, charged during off-peak hours, and used to bridge the gap during utility curtailments. 
Speakers
avatar for Garrett Stephenson

Garrett Stephenson

Shareholder, Schwabe
Garrett Stephenson is a shareholder in the Portland law office of Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt.  Garrett Stephenson’s natural resource and energy practice focuses on project planning, risk reduction, and permitting. He has ‎substantial experience in electrical transmission and... Read More →
avatar for Bill Ohle

Bill Ohle

Shareholder, Schwabe
Bill Ohle brings a strong industry background to representing public utilities and industries in state and federal regulatory matters. Before joining Schwabe, he served as in-house counsel for a publicly owned electrical, water and wastewater utility company. Currently, Bill represents... Read More →
avatar for Neerav Jashnani

Neerav Jashnani

Principal, Segue Sustainable Infrastructure
Neerav brings nearly a decade of renewable energy project finance and M&A experience to the team at Segue with experience across all asset classes, representing over 1 GW and over $1b of transaction value. He joins from the Infrastructure Investment team at Greenbacker Capital where... Read More →
Wednesday May 14, 2025 2:30pm - 3:30pm PDT
Windsor C
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