Rye Development, a U.S. developer of pumped storage hydropower, and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), on behalf of its Flagship Fund CI V, recently announced that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has issued a 40-year license for the Goldendale Energy Storage Project. Once operational, the project, located on private lands at the site of a former aluminum smelter near Goldendale, Wash., will store electricity for up to 12 hours and generate 1,200 megawatts of on-demand electricity—enough to power about 500,000 homes.
“This is a landmark moment for the Pacific Northwest,” said Erik Steimle, Rye Development’s chief development officer. “With electricity demand and energy costs on the rise, this license represents a huge step toward a more reliable grid and affordable energy prices for the region.”
Electricity demand in the Northwest is expected to grow more than 30% in the next decade, along with increasing electricity prices for residential and commercial customers. Pumped storage hydropower helps keep electricity costs more affordable by providing large-scale, dependable energy storage—even during extreme weather events.
The Goldendale Energy Storage Project is a significant investment, and is expected to create more than 3,000 family-wage jobs during its four- to five-year construction period, as well as dozens of permanent jobs. Once completed, the project is expected to generate more than $10 million annually for Klickitat County, supporting schools, public health, roads, emergency services and other essential needs.
“The Goldendale Energy Storage Project is a win for middle-class, family-wage jobs and rural communities,” said Heather Kurtenbach, executive secretary of the Washington State Building & Construction Trades Council. “We’re excited to collaborate with Rye Development on what will be one of the largest construction projects southeastern Washington has seen in decades.”
With a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to build the project under a labor agreement with the Washington State Building & Construction Trades Council and the Columbia Pacific Building & Construction Trades Council, all Goldendale contractors will be required to hire union workers. Per the MOU, they will prioritize hiring local workers. Given the four- to five-year construction timeline, apprentices would have the opportunity to learn a trade while earning a competitive wage.
New Life for a Former Aluminum Smelter Site
The Goldendale Energy Storage Project is sited on private land at the former Columbia Gorge Aluminum smelter, transforming the former brownfield site into an energy project providing family-wage jobs. The project, which is also located within the Tuolumne Wind Farm, could use existing roads and transmission lines. The entire project area is located within Klickitat County’s Energy Overlay Zone—a designation aimed at streamlining energy development.
“Redeveloping the Columbia Gorge Aluminum smelter into a clean energy resource has been a longtime vision of this community,” said Richard Foster, economic development director for Klickitat County. “The project revitalizes our community with good-paying jobs, stimulates local economic growth and enhances our leadership in renewable energy.”
The project faces significant opposition from the Yakama Nation, which states the construction will destroy sacred archeological and spiritual sites.
Construction is currently slated to begin in 2027, with the facility becoming operational between 2031 and 2032.