AGENDA

 

2025 FALL REGIONAL
WORKSHOP SCHEDULE

NWHA Fall Regional Workshop | September 25-26
PacifiCorp Headquarters

825 NE Multnomah, Suite 700, Portland, Oregon 97232

This year’s Fall Workshop will focus on bringing value & reducing the overall busbar costs of PNW hydro operations. It’s an opportunity to learn what energy market pressures currently are in conjunction with the factors that drive hydro busbar costs. Sessions will also include examples and collaboration with hydro peers on doing more with less. The session will conclude with a round table on future cost drivers and what are alternatives if it’s simply too costly.

 

Thursday, September 25th

8:30 AM – 12:30 PM
PGE Sullivan Project Tour – Visit Portland General Electric’s hydro project at Willamette Falls.

12:30 – 1:00 PM
Welcome Remarks & Hydro Cost Context
Brent Denham, Principal Project Manager/Engineer, PacifiCorp
An overview of hydro’s cost competitiveness compared to other generation resources.

1:00 – 1:45 PM
Energy Imbalance Market: Transparency in Practice
Paul Wood, Director, Portfolio Optimization, PacifiCorp
Explore how bidding and trading in the EIM provides visibility into energy costs. (Substitute may be appointed.)

1:45 – 2:00 PM
Networking Break

2:00 – 3:00 PM
Roundtable: What’s Driving Your Busbar Cost?
Utilities and operators explore cost drivers in hydro operations.

 

3:00 – 3:45 PM
Utility In-House Overhaul Teams
A discussion on utilities using internal staff to perform full overhauls—cost savings, quality outcomes, and challenges.

3:45 – 4:00 PM
Networking Break

4:00 – 5:00 PM
Roundtable: Fish Facilities and Operational Costs
Strategies to maintain compliance while managing increasing costs for ladders, barriers, collectors, and other passage infrastructure.
Moderator: Erik Lesko, Manager, Hydro Environmental, PacifiCorp

 

5:30 – 8:00 PM
Dinner & Social at Punch Bowl Social – Bowling, pool, karaoke and networking

 

Friday, September 26

8:00 – 8:30 AM
Coffee & Bagels

8:30 – 9:15 AM
Data Logging for Dam Safety
Mike Mortenson & Brent Sullivan, PacifiCorp
Lessons learned from five years of digital DSSM implementation and emerging tools for analysis and reporting.

9:15 – 10:00 AM
To be announced.

10:00 – 11:00 AM
DOE Grants: Making Marginal Plants Viable
Tom Hickey & Brock Boen, PacifiCorp
How Department of Energy funding has supported improvements at aging facilities.

12:00 – 1:00 PM
Lunch

1:00 – 2:00 PM
License Amendments & Project Delivery
Navigating FERC’s evolving expectations and minimizing costs through amendment planning.
Invited speakers: Avista, Tacoma

2:00 – 2:45 PM
Networking Break

2:45 – 3:15 PM
Group Discussion: What’s Driving the Next Era of Hydro Costs?
Explore regulatory, sourcing, and environmental trends.
Moderators: Todd Olson & Peter Martins, PacifiCorp

3:15 – 4:00 PM
Navigating Change: When Hydro Projects Become Too Expensive
Demian Ebert, McMillen
Case studies and decision-making frameworks for uneconomic projects—operational changes, divestiture, co-location, or decommissioning.

4:00 – 4:15 PM
Closing Comments