System Analysis Advisory Committee Conclusions of the RPM Review Panel Michael Schilmoeller Friday, January 25, 2013

Review Panel’s Conclusion RPM is sound and appropriate to meet the Council’s regional power planning needs The RPM should be used as a tool to support and assist the broader planning process The RPM’s approach to addressing uncertainty and risk is at the forefront of electric resource planning methods 2

Review Panel’s Conclusion Council staff should make significant improvements in communications More actively engage Council Members and regional stakeholders in discussions about issues, assumptions, alternatives and analyses. Express model results in more understandable ways (e.g., enhanced risk metrics) Show how specific inputs affect specific results 3

Review Panel’s Conclusion Council staff should further enhance RPM Include major intra-regional transmission constraints Add power plant operating constraints, especially those that provide or constrain ancillary services for renewables Use the model’s ability to retire power plants 4

Review Panel’s Conclusion Provide additional staff to maintain, update, document, populate, and use the model Create greater depth of expertise and experience within the staff Facilitate updates, studies, and the addition of new capabilities Provide more robust review and interpretation of model results 5

www.nwcouncil.org/energy/RPMPortfolioModelReview.pdf