Integrated Resource Planning: What It Is and How Local Governments Can Engage

Integrated Resource Plans (IRPs) are utility roadmaps that forecast anticipated energy demand over a set period and model cost-effective solutions to meet that energy demand through investments in generation, energy efficiency, and demand management resources. Required by law in over 30 states, IRP processes are key regulatory mechanisms for utility planning and procurement with significant implications for achieving a reliable, affordable, and clean system. Decisions made during IRP processes now will strongly inform the resource mix during one of the most consequential periods of grid transformation the United States has seen in decades. Local governments are key voices in these proceedings, representing both themselves as large energy users and their residents and businesses.

Join World Resources Institute (WRI)’s Polsky Center for the Global Energy Transition for a one-hour webinar designed for local government staff and practitioners that will give a foundational overview of the IRP process – what gets decided, who the key stakeholders are, and how local governments can engage to advance local goals. Participants will also hear directly from two local governments that have engaged in IRP proceedings about their experiences, including deciding on the pathway and strategy for engagement, lessons learned, and best practices.