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Energy efficient upgrades are playing a critical role in keeping the Northwest鈥檚 power grid balanced, according to an analysis by the Northwest Power and Conservation Council.

In a webinar hosted by regional transmission authorities, data centers were called a 鈥渕ajor challenge鈥� for the energy industry, as well as extreme weather.

Electricity demand in the Northwest is expected to grow more than 30% in the next decade, or about 5% more than estimated last year and triple the prediction three years ago, industry experts said in a new report.

A draft plan estimates it could cost up to $4.5 billion dollars to connect a future offshore wind energy project on the Northern California coast with the rest of the state鈥檚 electric grid.

As part of a plan to address energy inequities across the country, the federal government recently announced $72 million would be spent on connecting tribal communities with reliable, renewable energy. A little over $7 million of that funding is allocated to four tribes in California, including the Yurok Tribe.

California's grid operator issues different types of emergency notifications to consumers and utilities in an effort to prevent rotating power outages and uncontrolled blackouts.

As a string of attacks on electrical substations unfolded in Oregon and Washington in 2022, the FBI was warning utilities of white supremacists鈥� plots to take down the nation鈥檚 power grid. An investigation by OPB and Washington public media station KUOW reveals the scope of the threat to the Northwest grid.

Despite expecting 12.5 million electric cars by 2035, California officials insist that the grid can provide enough electricity. But that鈥檚 based on multiple assumptions 鈥� including building solar and wind at almost five times the pace of the past decade 鈥� that may not be realistic.