Power and Renewables

Integrated Resource Plans: An Introduction to Future Capacity and Decommissions

byMarie Amice

Electric utility providers’ primary objective is to deliver reliable energy to customers and plan for the future. Utilities closely monitor energy demand and if they have capacity to meet future needs or not. Market conditions evolve — plants reach the end of their lifecycle, new policies get introduced, communities grow or decline. Emerging technologies, such as electric vehicles, surge, and energy security and natural disasters risk arise.

Utilities prepare for upcoming supply and demand shifts with short- and long-term plans that preserve reliability and strengthen infrastructure to supply sustainable energy for future generations. In the past 30 years, we have seen 200 gigawatts of wind and solar power come online.

What is an integrated resource plan?

An integrated resources plan (IRP) is a roadmap that large utilities develop to meet forecasted energy needs using supply and demand resources to ensure cost-efficient, reliable energy distribution to customers. Utilities use IRPs to identify the five, 10 or 20-plus year outlooks of plant retirements and how utilities plan to meet future demand and invest in new technologies.

Integrated resource plans also address market factors such as:

  • Growing and declining population.
  • Future energy demand.
  • Generation capacity.
  • Crisis response.
  • Energy security.

IRPs offer a long-term perspective into the future energy landscape, some with a view through 2050. However, they are lengthy documents and time-consuming to digest at scale, thus, it can be difficult to easily locate the valuable information.

Charts in Enverus PRISM.
Source: Enverus PRISM.

How can IRPs help?

Understanding which generation a utility plans to add, decommission or invest in is essential to a business development strategy. You can use IRPs as a pre-screening tool for entering a new market or understanding how the utility generation will change. When paired with power plants, LMP, parcels, suitable land analytics and grid infrastructure, you have a powerhouse of tools to confirm your market analysis.

Graph showing Capacity (MW) by utility, IRP technology type, sum, IRP scorecard
Source: Enverus PRISM.

Project developers can leverage IRPs to identify potential renewable energy partnerships with PRISM for Power & Renewables. Position yourself in advance and uncover utilities plan to meet demand and the various incentives and mandates to add more renewable energy and storage to the grid. With Enverus IRPs you can:

Browse through key IRP content

Source and analyze utilities’ near- and long-term plans to meet electricity demand and upcoming plant decommission. Easily visualize projects by added and decommissioned capacity.

Conduct a market potential analysis

Drill down and analyze ISO areas, companies and projects by stage. View the market players associated with projects, infrastructure and find available parcels for development.

Easily synthesize and compare data

Quickly review and compare multiple utility IRPs and turn policy data into an actionable business development strategy.

Ready to identify potential renewable energy partnerships and see IRPs in Enverus PRISM? Fill out the form below and request a demo.

Picture of Marie Amice

Marie Amice

Senior Project Manager, Power & Renewables at Enverus

Subscribe to the Enverus Blog

A weekly update on the latest “no-fluff” insight and analysis of the energy industry.

Related Content

data-center-demand
Energy Transition
ByElliot Ryland

Network infrastructure expansion will lag load growth, driven primarily by the rapid expansion of data centers to support artificial intelligence.

persona-Operators-with-non-operating-assets-.jpg
Generative AI
ByAkash Sharma

The energy sector has always been complex. From the volatility of oil and gas markets to the technical challenges of extracting resources from remote locations, energy professionals have long navigated a multifaceted landscape. But today, there is a new perfect...

Enverus Press Release - Forecasting the unpredictable President Trump
Energy Analytics
ByEnverus

The need to identify and secure quality acreage is more critical than ever for operators, from traditional family businesses to private equity-backed firms and public companies. The market is valuing and rewarding operators who are making the right moves to...

GettyImages-1410585238
Analyst Takes
ByAl Salazar, Enverus Intelligence® Research (EIR) Contributor

We’ve seen Brent and WTI plummet by roughly $10-$15 per barrel, primarily due to fears of a global economic slowdown and the impending recession triggered by President Trump’s tariffs. The market is reevaluating its expectations, forecasting weakened oil demand amid...

Enverus Intelligence® Research Press Release -
Business Automation
ByEnverus

The oil and gas industry is undergoing a significant digital transformation, with artificial intelligence (AI) playing a crucial role in revolutionizing oilfield procurement processes. As the demand for efficiency and cost-effectiveness increases in our increasingly competitive economic environment, AI technologies...

Enverus Press Release - Heightened natural gas price volatility expected amid supply and demand challenges
Energy Transition
ByAmyra Mardhani

The CDR market saw rapid growth last year, with BECCS at the forefront, accounting for 55% of total volumes transacted at an average disclosed price of $387 per tonne.

Enverus Press Release - Enverus honored as one of Alberta’s leading employers
Generative AI Power and Renewables
ByVirginia Fishburn

There is no question that AI is changing the way we access information across renewable energy projects in 2025. At Enverus, we are leading the energy industry in AI applications, ranging from how we can help our customers get answers...

Enverus Press Release - E&Ps with natural gas + CCS pave way for model data center development
Energy Transition
ByBrynna Foley

Publicly traded independent power producers (IPPs) are poised for a significant shift as renewable energy continues to reshape the generation mix. Enverus Intelligence® Research’s latest report explores how evolving generation and price forecasts will impact IPP profitability. The retirement of...

Enverus Intelligence® Research Press Release - Delayed exit: Rising demand forces natural gas power plants to stay online
Power and Renewables
ByAnthony Basile

Fully integrated power market forecasts including electricity price forecasts to inform and aid in making smarter investment decisions  Introduction to Long-Term Electricity Price Forecasts   Our long-term power forecast is a projection of power prices 20 years into the future. This...

Let’s get started!

We’ll follow up right away to show you a quick product tour.

Let’s get started!

We’ll follow up right away to show you a quick product tour.

Sign up for our Blog

Register Today

Sign Up

Power Your Insights

Connect with an Expert

Access Product Tour

Speak to an Expert