Coalition supports battery storage project near Snoqualmie

Published 10:24 am Tuesday, April 28, 2026

As Snoqualmie residents continue fighting a proposed battery storage site near the Ridge, a local coalition has formed with the opposite goal.

Keep the Lights On! Washington launched in late April in an effort to support the development of battery energy storage system (BESS) sites in King County, particularly the proposed BESS that would be adjacent to Snoqualmie Ridge. The coalition says BESS developments are needed to combat the growing strain on Washington’s electrical grid, according to keepthelightsonwashington.com.

“As Washington’s energy demands grow and the region transitions to clean energy, maintaining a resilient electric grid has become an increasingly urgent priority,” a news release said. “Keep The Lights On! Washington brings together organizations who support developing the infrastructure needed for ensuring communities have access to reliable, affordable power when it’s needed most.”

There are six organizations serving as founding members of the coalition, including Jupiter Power, the company behind the Cascadia Ridge project in Snoqualmie Ridge. Other members are Climate Jobs Washington, Sierra Club Washington, Certified Electrical Workers of Washington, Clean and Prosperous Washington and the Seattle Building and Construction Trades Council.

In a statement, Climate Jobs Washington Executive Director Cassie Bordelon said, “Washington’s clean energy future depends on a grid that is not only carbon-free, but reliable and resilient.”

“Infrastructure like the Cascadia Ridge project is essential to keeping the lights on while creating family-wage, union jobs for skilled workers across our state,” she said. “We’re proud to stand alongside our partners in Keep the Lights On! Washington to build the infrastructure our communities need to thrive.”

Jupiter Power wants to develop a BESS on a 45-acre lot south of Fisher Creek Park. The site in unincorporated King County would connect to the existing nearby Mt. Si substation and have a power capacity of 130 megawatts. The batteries would store renewable and non-renewable energy for later use.

Snoqualmie residents opposing the project formed a nonprofit in April called Snoqualmie Valley for Responsible Energy (SVRE). The group and its supporters are standing firm in the opinion that the proposed site is not an appropriate place for a BESS. The group has even asked Puget Sound Energy to put an end to the project, saying it goes against the company’s own standards.

“Green energy is important, and grid resilience is necessary — but to claim that these require the siting of a massive industrial facility in the heart of a residential community is pure fallacy,” said SVRE spokesperson Holly Cowan.

“With responsible siting of projects like this one, the energy transition and grid can be supported while simultaneously protecting people’s homes, schools and businesses, as well as sensitive ecosystems. Defending this particular site for this project is a clear prioritization of a private company’s profits over public safety and environmental stewardship.”