The $4.9bn project in Washington state will use water from Lake Roosevelt and a planned 399ft reservoir
Halverson Canyon project will connect to the nearby Pacific Northwest transmission system.(Credit: Egor Shitikov from Pixabay)
Daybreak Power has secured a preliminary permit from the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for the 2.65GW Halverson Canyon Pumped Storage project.
The company has proposed to develop the pumped storage hydro facility with an investment of $4.9bn near Creston, Washington. The project is planned to be located nearly 56.3km upstream from the Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River.
According to Daybreak Power, the Halverson Canyon Pumped Storage project will connect to the nearby Pacific Northwest transmission system. It will supply renewable power to Seattle, Portland, and throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Daybreak Power CEO Jim Day said: “Study after study shows we’re going to need massive amounts of storage to integrate high levels of wind and solar, and we need to do it smart.
“The Halverson Canyon project does that. This project marks a turning point for the Pacific Northwest to transition off fossil resources and onto carbon-free renewables at a scale never seen before.”
The pumped storage hydropower facility will use water from Lake Roosevelt and a new reservoir to be built in an upland area above the lake for creating a gigantic battery.
The Halverson Canyon project will use renewable energy for pumping water to the upper reservoir and for releasing it via turbines and back to Lake Roosevelt. The process will help produce 10 hours or more of renewable energy on-demand, on a daily basis.
Lake Roosevelt will be used as the lower reservoir for the project, while the upper reservoir will be a 399ft high, rockfill concrete-face structure.
The Halverson Canyon Pumped Storage project will be equipped with nine pump turbine/generation units, each having a capacity of 295MW. The units will be located within a 128ft high powerhouse.
Once commissioned, the pumped storage project will generate nearly 8,899,000MWh of power annually.
Daybreak Power claimed that the project will not dam any rivers nor will it flood sacred places or result in depletion of water resources. The company said that the location of the project was selected for minimising impacts on endangered species, stay away from culturally important sites, and minimise adverse effects on recreation.