A recent study by the Energy + Environmental Economics, also known as E3, found that by 2030 the Northwest could reach a roughly 9-gigawatt gap between energy produced in the region and what its residents need.

The study also found that the Northwest will need to rely on natural gas plants and may need to build more infrastructure to support it, but some think this is unnecessary.

The think tank Sightline Institute has a new report arguing that the energy shortfall is misleading and says there are other ways to save power, such as asking data centers to temporarily reduce their use during times when the grid is stressed.

Laura Feinstein is a fellow at Sightline. She joins us to share more.

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News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/03/31/northwest-energy-gap-natural-gas/