The era of coal-based power in Oregon has ended with the closure of the Boardman Generating Station, the only coal-fired power facility in the state. Portland General Electric Company has shuttered the station 20 years ahead of schedule in line with a 2010 multi-stakeholder agreement to slash air emissions in the power sector.

The closure is projected to eliminate about 2 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions produced by the plant Commissioned in 1980, the Boardman Power Plant was closed on October 15, 2020. Source: Portland General Electric Company annually. The utility has also dramatically reduced mercury and sulfur dioxide emissions over the past decade to reduce haze and air pollution in the surrounding area.

Some of the power from the Boardman plant will be replaced by hydro power from dams through agreements with the U.S. Bonneville Power Administration and other suppliers. The utility is also developing the Wheatridge renewable energy project in Morrow County with NextEra Energy Resources. The development is planned to deliver 300 MW of wind-generated power, 50 MW of solar-based energy and 50 MW of battery storage capacity. The wind farm is in the final stages of construction and will be online at the end of 2020, while the solar and battery storage systems will be operational near the end of 2021.