Washington — Energy Landscape

Fuel Mix Dominance

• Washington's current operating fleet is heavily skewed towards renewable energy and battery storage, with 12 solar plants contributing 858 MW and 3 battery storage plants providing a substantial 3.2 GW.

• The state also includes 1 wind plant with 273 MW of operational capacity.

• Hybrid plants, specifically 5 solar+storage or wind+storage facilities, are operational, indicating a trend towards integrated renewable solutions.

Leading Operational Assets

• The largest operating asset in Washington is Hop Hill Solar Generation and BESS, with a significant capacity of 2,600 MW, showcasing the scale of combined solar and battery storage projects.

• Following, Lower Snake Solar Generation BESS adds another 600 MW to the state's storage-integrated solar capacity.

• The Wild Horse wind plant represents the state's largest wind asset at 273.1 MW.

• Other notable solar facilities include Carriger at 160 MW and Lund Hill Solar at 150 MW, further diversifying the state's solar footprint.

The operational fleet in Washington is overwhelmingly renewable-dominated, characterized by large-scale solar and battery storage projects, which reflects a strategic focus on clean energy deployment and grid modernization.

Key Finding: Recent news signals in Washington indicate notable regulatory activity and project commitments, alongside constraints related to nuclear plant operations.

Regulatory and Development Signals

Regulatory and development news comprises a significant portion of recent activity, highlighting both new project approvals and ongoing policy discussions.

• "Examiner OKs controversial energy facility in Thurston Co.": This approval signal suggests progress for new energy projects within the state, indicating a favorable regulatory environment for specific developments.
• "DOE keeps TransAlta (NYSE: TAC) Centralia Unit 2 available 90 days": A FERC Order to extend the operation of Centralia Unit 2 reflects federal intervention to maintain grid stability or address specific energy needs in the near term.
• "Washington state sues US Department of Energy over records in decision to keep Centralia coal plant running": This lawsuit underscores state-level opposition to federal decisions regarding the Centralia coal plant, indicating potential future regulatory battles over its operation.
• "Local lawmakers move to make Spokane's Waste-to-Energy facility exempt from state climate act": This state-level legislative effort points to ongoing debates and potential carve-outs for specific facilities within environmental regulations.

Operational Constraints and Policy Discourse

Operational constraints, particularly concerning the nuclear sector, and broader policy discussions are also prominent in the recent news flow.

1. Two separate articles, "Northwest’s only nuclear power plant shut down after problem detected" on 2026-02-28 and 2026-02-12, indicate unexpected outages at the state's sole nuclear facility, impacting grid reliability.
2. The "Legislators debate bill to protect Spokane Waste to Energy" on 2026-01-20 highlights state-level efforts to safeguard the operation of specific waste-to-energy facilities from

Washington's interconnection queue is exclusively dominated by solar projects, signaling a strong future emphasis on solar development within the state.

Solar Dominance in Washington's Queue

• The entire 41 projects in Washington's interconnection queue are Solar projects, totaling 5.1 GW of proposed capacity.

• Of these, 37 projects are currently active, while 4 projects are listed as suspended.

• The largest individual projects in the queue are all 500 MW or 400 MW Solar facilities, with the two largest being 500 MW Solar projects.