PUC of Utah
Thad LeVar is Chair of the Public Service Commission of Utah.
In discussions with ten Commissioners from every end of the country, PUF's Paul Kjellander in late July asked about what's driving the energy transition in their states, their state's policies, barriers for the transition to overcome, and risks, also the role of consumer-owned energy.
PUF's Paul Kjellander: What do you see as the primary factors driving the energy transition for utilities in the State of Utah?
Chair Thad LeVar: What drives any transition in Utah is the same process that's always driven Utah's resource choices: integrated resource planning. We have a good process for that, which is able to model all known potential future scenarios.
As much as we can predict the future, we're able to include those scenarios in the modeling. We have a good public stakeholder process, so everyone has a chance to weigh in on that process.
Our energy choices still flow back to that integrated planning. I like that it's integrated because we're able to evaluate generation and technology options, along with all other technology and resource options, in as many scenarios as we can put together. We try to find a least-cost, least-risk portfolio to meet the reliability, resilience, and affordability needs of the state.