Water Quality Certification affirmed for Goldendale Energy Storage Project

A key permit for the Goldendale Energy Storage Project was upheld on appeal on Monday, January 27, demonstrating confidence that the proposed closed-loop pumped storage hydropower facility in Klickitat County, Wash., will safeguard water quality.

Washington state’s Pollution Control Hearings Board upheld the Section 401 Water Quality Certification issued by the state’s Department of Ecology in May 2023 for the proposed pumped storage project near the Columbia River.

The certification is required for the facility, which is located on the site of a former aluminum smelter and will use water and gravity to store energy for 12 hours, generating 1,200 megawatts of clean, on-demand electricity – enough to power approximately 500,000 homes.

“We are pleased with this ruling from Washington’s Pollution Control Hearings Board, which supports previous decisions that the Goldendale project will meet state water quality standards,” says Erik Steimle, chief development officer of Rye Development, which is leading the project on behalf of Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners. “Today, we are one step closer to advancing Washington’s first pumped storage facility and creating a more sustainable and reliable energy future for our region.”

The Goldendale Energy Storage Project will support more than 3,000 family-wage construction jobs and spur economic growth in the region. “We appreciate this ruling from the Pollution Control Hearings Board, which affirms a key permit for the Goldendale Energy Storage Project,” says Heather Kurtenbach, executive secretary of the Washington State Building & Construction Trades Council. “One of the largest clean energy initiatives in the state, the Goldendale project will provide a critical source of clean energy while providing valuable, good-paying jobs.”

Providing clean energy with minimal environmental impact

Located on private land zoned for renewable energy, the Goldendale Energy Storage Project includes two artificial reservoirs – an upper one and a lower one – connected by an underground pipe. The reservoirs would be filled with water once to continually store and generate electricity, making up for evaporation losses only. The project would purchase water from Klickitat Public Utility District like any other commercial user.

The Pollution Control Hearings Board found the project's design has adequate mitigation strategies in place to protect water quality and would not harm endangered fish.