Residents and legislators in Skagit County are working to challenge the siting of future battery energy storage systems, even as two local projects — Goldeneye near Sedro-Woolley and NextEra near Mount Vernon — progress through the approval process.
A battery energy storage system, or BESS, can manage fluctuations in energy demand by charging off renewable power sources like solar when the demand is low and discharging when the demand is high.
Goldeneye project in Sedro-Woolley
Goldeneye is a 200-megawatt BESS proposed by Nebraska-based company Tenaska on pasture land next to the Puget Sound Energy substation in Sedro-Woolley. Goldeneye has garnered significant local opposition, with elected officials and community members expressing concerns about safety and environmental impact.
Tenaska opted to go through the state Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council (EFSEC) permitting process rather than seeking approval from Skagit County. The council is made up of state agency officials and makes recommendations to the governor’s office on major energy facility projects.
On Feb. 19, EFSEC members voted 3-2 in finding the Goldeneye proposal to be in compliance with the Skagit County development regulations that were in place at the time of application.
Skagit County senior planner Robby Eckroth was one of the council members who voted against approval, saying Tenaska hadn’t sufficiently demonstrated the need to place the BESS on agricultural land. Eli Levitt of the Department of Ecology also voted no due to concerns the public hadn’t had adequate opportunity to comment on the draft order before it was finalized.
The Skagit County Commissioners, the Sedro-Woolley mayor and council, and District 39 state legislators have all voiced their opposition to Goldeneye. The tribal consortium Skagit River System Cooperative has expressed reservations about the project because of its proximity to Hansen Creek, a salmon-bearing tributary to the Skagit River. The Upper Skagit Indian Tribe has spent more than $2.7 million to improve and restore the Hansen Creek stream channel and salmon habitat.
The Goldeneye proposal will now move on to State Environmental Policy Act review, which will offer more opportunities for the public to comment.
In response to Goldeneye and other energy projects being reviewed by EFSEC, District 39 Sen. Keith Wagoner, who represents parts of Skagit and Snohomish counties, has brought forward Senate Bill 5283 to prohibit EFSEC from “preempting local laws that forbid the siting of certain storage facilities in critical areas.” A public hearing was held on the bill in the Senate Committee on Environment, Energy & Technology on Feb. 19.
During the hearing, Wagoner said he’s not against battery technology but he is against letting private companies “do an end run on local zoning” by opting to go through EFSEC.
NextEra project west of Mount Vernon
Meanwhile, a 200-megawatt BESS, proposed by the energy company NextEra on a property west of Mount Vernon, received approval in early January for a special use permit by Skagit County.
In November 2024, the Skagit Board of County Commissioners amended the county development code to prohibit new electrical energy generation and storage on agricultural and resource land. However, the code change didn’t apply to the NextEra project because it’s in the Bayview Ridge Heavy Industrial zoning district.
A group of residents who call themselves Stewards of Skagit have organized to fight back against battery energy storage systems in Skagit County. Connie Krier, the president of the group, confirmed she had appealed the county’s land use decision for the NextEra project. The appeal hearing is set for June 2.
Krier explained her group is concerned about safety and believes NextEra is not being forthright about the risks posed by battery facilities.
The energy industry says battery storage is safe and reliable. According to the international BESS Failure Incident Database maintained by the Electric Power Research Institute, even as incidents continue to occur, the rate has sharply decreased as far more storage capacity is installed around the world. Both Tenaska and NextEra have assured local governments they will have 24-hour facility monitoring and will train firefighters to respond to BESS incidents.
An FAQ published by Tenaska on the Goldeneye project website says operators have learned from “rare, yet well-publicized, malfunctions at older BESS facilities.”
But one of those well-publicized malfunctions just occurred in Monterey County, California. A Jan. 16 fire at the Moss Landing Power Plant caused no injuries but affirmed opponents’ fear of toxic or hard-to-control emergencies at BESS facilities. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency testing and monitoring at Moss Landing found no risk to public health, according to a Jan. 20 EPA news release, but several neighboring residents have filed a lawsuit against the plant operator and other energy companies, alleging negative health impacts.
Tenaska has had no failure incidents (i.e. fires) at any site. NextEra has had one, a “smoldering battery” at a 5-megawatt BESS in East Hampton, New York, in 2023. Tenaska and NextEra did not respond to requests for comment.
Clarification: A previous version of this article misstated the Skagit River System Cooperative’s stance on the Goldeneye project. The article was updated at 6:27 p.m. on March 5.
Julia Tellman writes about civic issues and anything else that happens to cross her desk; contact her at juliatellman@cascadiadaily.com.
