Integrated Resource Plan

Resource planning is an ongoing process at Laurens Electric Cooperative and is one of the core responsibilities of our wholesale electric generation and transmission cooperative’s (Central) power supply department. By design, our integrated resource plan (IRP) is detailed and outlines how we can meet our long-term forecasted energy consumption and peak demand through a combination of supply-side and demand-side resources. The planning period for our IRP is January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2040. 

This report provides a comprehensive view of our vision, initiatives, and future resource plan to serve the current and growing needs of our members. The IRP is intended to be a working document, used to both guide and communicate long-term power supply and infrastructure investment decisions. The plan embodies the commitment to our members to provide reliable power supply in a cost-effective manner. 

The provided analysis supporting the plan helps Central, its member-cooperatives, and their member-owners understand the effect of both near-term and long-term resource decisions on member-owner bills and the future reliability of the electric service. Resource planning is a collaborative process among Central and its member-cooperatives. This IRP will not select a specific resource plan for implementation. It will instead serve as a roadmap as we move into the next phase of resource plan development. We have examined various reasonable scenarios to determine a series of resource portfolios designed to minimize both cost and risk.

The full report can be viewed here.