• Skagit County Hearing Examiner to Consider Battery Energy Storage System Permit Application

On December 20, 2024, at 9:00 AM, the Skagit County Hearing Examiner will host a public hearing to consider a special use permit application from NextEra Energy to develop a battery energy storage system (BESS) near the Port of Skagit. The project would be located on 22.55 acres, on property zoned Bayview Ridge Heavy Industrial in the Bayview Ridge Urban Growth Area and would be capable of storing up to 200 megawatt hours of energy for a 4-hour duration. The BESS would provide increased power capacity and grid resiliency for the greater Skagit County area.

The hearing will include testimony from the project proponent, NextEra Energy, and a recommendation from Planning & Development Services (PDS) on the permit application. Additionally, after staff and applicant presentations, the Hearing Examiner will open the hearing for public testimony for those who want to comment on the proposal. You may also submit written comments on this proposal. Comments must be received by PDS no later than 4:30 PM December 19, 2024, or may be presented at the public hearing. Written comments may be submitted via the PDS website under Public Notices and Comment Opportunities link or submitted to the Office of the Hearing Examiner at HEhearings@co.skagit.wa.us. If you would like to speak at the hearing, please email the Hearing Examiner Clerk at HEhearings@co.skagit.wa.us or call (360) 416-1129 to register.

Skagit County PDS completed a State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) review of the project in June 2024 and issued a Mitigated Determination of Nonsignificance (MDNS). The project is classified as a Major Utility Development per Skagit County Code 14.16.190(5)(c). The MDNS notice was published in the Skagit Valley Herald, posted at the project site, and sent to neighboring property owners. There were no comments or appeals submitted during this time.

The proposed BESS project would be located on P129949 and P21265 along the west side of McFarland Road, south of Ovenell Road. The property is owned by Sierra Pacific Industries and the BESS would be developed just east of the Puget Sound Energy substation site.

Following the public hearing, the Examiner will review the exhibits, the record and testimony presented and the hearing, and render a decision within approximately two weeks. Parties of record who submitted comments/testimony for the record, and who supplied a mailing and/or email address, will be notified of the decision.