A power line in Kennewick, Washington. Tri-Cities business leaders said there isn't enough power to go around to support large industrial development in the area.
Courtney Flatt/NWPB
It’s getting harder to bring new, large developments to the Tri-Cities, according to local business leaders.
Panelists at a recent Columbia Basin Badger Club event agreed that the region is growing faster than the infrastructure needed to support that growth — like transmission lines and new power supply.
Rick Dunn, the general manager of Benton PUD, didn’t blame the lack of power on increasing data center development. He said Washington’s goals of using 80% carbon-free energy by 2030 and 100% by 2045 will create a gap in the power supply for industrial development.
“2030 is right now,” Dunn said. “If you have a large load that comes in and says they need firm generation across all hours, all weather, I really have no alternative. Now, can you piece together a wind, solar battery package? Possibly. But it’s not gonna be cheap.”
Renewable energy advocates say those carbon-free goals are needed to slow the effects of climate change.
Stephen McFadden, the deputy executive director for the Port of Pasco, said the port has had to turn away multiple industrial developments in the past few years.
“ I usually am the one sitting at the table to make that call in, in response to our ability to continue to grow without exhausting our entire utility infrastructure for a single project,” he said.
That’s cost the region more than $2 billion in private investments, McFadden said.
“While the port is very successful in its economic development efforts, it turns away more projects than it wins. And we primarily are turning projects away today due to the lack of power supply,” he said.
However, McFadden said, the port is one of two places in Washington that’s piloting one solution called “industrial symbiosis.” It turns industrial manufacturing waste into energy to reduce dependence on the grid.
Courtney Flatt is a reporter with Northwest Public Broadcasting. This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.
It is part of OPB’s broader effort to ensure that everyone in our region has access to quality journalism that informs, entertains and enriches their lives. To learn more, visit our journalism partnerships page.
