FERC issues permit for $4.9 billion pumped storage project in Washington

Daybreak Power Inc said July 19 that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued a preliminary permit approving its proposed 2,650-MW Halverson Canyon Pumped Storage project near Creston, Wash.

Halverson Canyon is a pumped storage hydropower facility that would use water from Lake Roosevelt and a new reservoir in an upland area above the lake to create a large battery. The facility will use renewable energy to pump water to the upper reservoir, then release it through turbines and back to the lake to generate 10 hours or more of renewable power on demand each day, according to Daybreak.

The approximately $4.9 billion project would also connect to the nearby Pacific Northwest transmission system and deliver wind and solar power from Montana and throughout the Northwest, according to a news release.

The Halverson Canyon project is Daybreak’s third and largest energy storage proposal, following its proposed 1,540-MW Next Generation Pumped Storage Project on Lake Mead and the 2,210 MW Navajo Energy Storage Station near Lake Powell.

21 July 2021

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