Electric Integrated Resource Plan

 

Overview

In 2015, Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. signed Senate Bill 350 (SB 350) into law, requiring publicly owned utilities serving loads greater than 700,000 megawatt-hours per year, including Palo Alto, to submit an Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) to the California Energy Commission (CEC) every five years. The City submitted an IRP in 2018 and 2024. The Electric IRP lays out Palo Alto’s 2024-2045 roadmap for providing electrical service that is reliable, affordable, and aligned with City and State energy goals and greenhouse gas emission reduction targets.

Palo Alto has already made great strides on reaching these targets, including providing carbon neutral electricity and natural gas. Learn more about carbon neutrality in Palo Alto.

Planning Process

The IRP is a useful planning document that provides customers the opportunity to shape their future energy supply. Communicating directly with its customers throughout the planning process helps CPAU develop future power source options that reflect the priorities of the community. CPAU is working through a public planning process with the City Council, Utilities Advisory Commission, and the community.