The Goldendale Energy Storage Project uses the most reliable and common energy storage technology—designed to operate for over 100 years. The project:

• • Reuses water over and over.
• • Reduces the need for lithium-ion batteries, which rely on heavy mining.
• • Is low-maintenance, lasting more than 100 years.
• • Has the lowest carbon footprint of storage technologies.

A “closed-loop” system, the Goldendale project does not involve the construction of a new dam on a river. The facility will include two artificial reservoirs—a lower one and an elevated one—that recirculate water. The project would purchase water from Klickitat Public Utility District like any other commercial user.

The system requires a one-time fill and minimal annual replenishment—about 360 acre-feet of water per year to offset evaporation. For perspective, the former aluminum smelter consumed 8,000 acre-feet of water annually, and the average Washington farm consumes four times as much water annually, according to U.S. census data.

The Washington Department of Ecology issued the Goldendale Energy Storage Project a Section 401 Water Quality Certification in May 2023. This is a required permit for a federal license from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The certification ensures the project design doesn’t harm water quality or aquatic life, including endangered fish.

The system:

• • Reduces pollution and carbon emissions^*.
• • Consumes minimal water annually.
• • Has no adverse effects on local fish or wildlife.
• • Avoids tribal fishing, hunting and gathering sites.
• • Includes $10 million dedicated to cleaning up contamination at the former aluminum smelter.

^*According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, carbon-based power sources such as coal and natural gas add about 1,000 pounds of carbon to the atmosphere for every megawatt-hour produced. Once operational, the Goldendale project will eliminate more than 1.7 tons of CO₂ emissions each year.