(1) "Agency" includes a department or other agency of state government, city, county, municipal corporation, political subdivision, port, people’s utility district, joint operating agency and electric cooperative.

(2) "Coal supplier" means any person engaged in the wholesale distribution in this state of coal intended for use in this state for an energy facility.

(3) "Cost-effective" means that an energy resource, facility or conservation measure during its life cycle results in delivered power costs to the ultimate consumer no greater than the comparable incremental cost of the least cost alternative new energy resource, facility or conservation measure. Cost comparison under this definition shall include but not be limited to:

(a) Cost escalations and future availability of fuels;

(b) Waste disposal and decommissioning costs;

(c) Transmission and distribution costs;

(d) Geographic, climatic and other differences in the state; and

(e) Environmental impact.

(4) "Council" means the Energy Facility Siting Council established under ORS 469.450.

(5) "Department" means the State Department of Energy created under ORS 469.030.

(6) "Director" means the Director of the State Department of Energy appointed under ORS 469.040.

(7) "Energy facility" has the meaning given in ORS 469.300.

(8) "Energy generation area" means an area within which the effects of two or more small generating plants may accumulate so the small generating plants have effects of a magnitude similar to a single generating plant of 25 megawatts or more. An energy generation area for facilities using a geothermal resource and covered by a unit agreement, as provided in ORS 522.405 to 522.545 or by federal law, shall be defined in that unit agreement. If no such unit agreement exists, an energy generation area for facilities using a geothermal resource shall be the area that is within two miles, measured from the electrical generating equipment of the facility, of an existing or proposed geothermal electric power generating plant, not including the site of any other such plant not owned or controlled by the same person.

(9) "Geothermal reservoir" means an aquifer or aquifers containing a common geothermal fluid.

(10) "Nominal electric generating capacity" has the meaning given in ORS 469.300.

(11) "Person" means an individual, partnership, joint venture, private or public corporation, association, firm, public service company, political subdivision, municipal corporation, government agency, people’s utility district, or any other entity, public or private, however organized.

(12) "Petroleum supplier" means a petroleum refiner in this state, or any person engaged in the wholesale distribution of crude petroleum or derivative thereof or of propane in this state.

(13) "Related or supporting facilities" means any structure, proposed by the applicant, to be constructed or substantially modified in connection with the construction of an energy facility, including associated transmission lines, reservoirs, storage facilities, intake structure, road and rail access, pipelines, barge basins, office or public buildings, and commercial and industrial structures. "Related or supporting facilities" does not include geothermal or underground gas storage reservoirs, production, injection or monitoring wells or wellhead equipment or pumps.

(14) "Site" means a proposed location of an energy facility, and its related or supporting facilities.

(15) "Thermal power plant" has the meaning given that term by ORS 469.300.

(16) "Utility" includes:

(a) An individual, a regulated electrical company, a people’s utility district, a joint operating agency, an electric cooperative, municipality or any combination thereof, engaged in or authorized to engage in the business of generating, transmitting or distributing electric energy;

(b) A person or public agency generating electric energy from an energy facility for its own consumption; and

(c) A person engaged in this state in the transmission or distribution of natural or synthetic gas. [1975 c.606 §2; 1977 c.794 §1; 1979 c.723 §2; 1981 c.629 §1; 1981 c.792 §1; 1991 c.480 §3; 1993 c.569 §1; 1995 c.505 §4; 1995 c.551 §2; 2003 c.186 §16]