Notice Of Decision
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City of Sumner SEPA Official has issued an MDNS on the application SEPA-2024-0001 for a proposed 200-megawatt/800-megawatt hour Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) facility located in the light industrial (M-1) zones. The proposal includes a generation-intertie overhead transmission line (gen-tie) connecting the BESS substation to Puget Sound Energy’s White River Substation to the east in unincorporated Pierce County. Additional details can be found below and with the project documents.
The public has the right to review the contents of the official file for the proposal, provide written comments and request a copy of the final decision. Comments may be emailed to the staff contact below or mailed to the attention of the staff contact at 1104 Maple St. Sumner, WA 98390.
Comments will be accepted if filed with the Development Services Department on or before 5:00pm on August 15th, 2024
| Project Name: | Greenwater Battery Energy Storage System |
| Permit Application Number: | SEPA-2024-0001 |
| Primary Location: | 1808 East Valley Highway E Sumner, WA 98390 |
| Parcel(s) #: | BESS and substation project occurs on M-1 zoned parcels 9520000174, 9520000173, 9520000168 and 9520000152. Proposed gen-tie transmission route extends south from the BESS substation to M-1 zoned parcels 9520000143, 9520000121, 9520000110, then east across East Valley Highway through M-1 zoned parcels 0520072002, 0520072001, 9520000071 and LDR-12 zoned parcel 0520072004; gen-tie continues through unincorporated Pierce County parcels 0520071007 and 0520071008 to connect to the PSE White River Substation. |
| Description of Proposal: | A proposed 200-megawatt/800-megawatt hour Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) facility to enhance local electrical reliability and meet affordable sustainable energy goals. The proposed facility is located on four contiguous parcels located on the west side of East Valley Highway Easy in the M-1 zone, to include site development of approximately 8 acres containing modular energy storage units arranged in rows. Each BESS unit measures 20-25 feet long and 8.5-9.5 feet tall with each row connected to a fully contained medium-voltage transformer, which will be connected via electrical cables to a small on-site substation. The BESS substation area is approximately 32,670 square feet in size and is proposed fully enclosed with an 8-foot-tall fence with 2 feet of barbed wire. The BESS substation would increase voltage from 34.5 kilovolts (kV) to 230kV to match PSE’s White River Substation voltage. The proposed gen-tie route extends from the BESS facility south, then east across East Valley Highway through the parcels to connect to the PSE White River substation located in unincorporated Pierce County. The gen-tie will consist of 19 poles including three transmission line cables and a tension cable mounted on steel single-pole vertical aligned transmission towers. The ground will be excavated approximately 7 feet below ground surface and the proposed towers range from 65 feet to 125 feet tall and will be equipped with insulators and wire conductors designed to carry 230 kV. Once construction of the infrastructure is complete, the project footprint will be landscaped, and the area secured. |
| Applicant: | GREE bn, LLC BrightNight communications@brightnightpower.com 515 N Flager Dr, Suite P-200 West Palm Beach, FL 33401 |
| Date of Application: | February 5, 2024 |
| Date of Complete Application: | April 8, 2024 |
| Zoning: | Light Industrial (M-1); LDR-12 (APN: 0520072004) & Pierce County |
| SEPA: | MDNS is likely to be issued |
| Hearing Date: | No hearing is scheduled for this SEPA, any future hearing for this project will include separate noticing per SMC 18.56. |
| Other Required Permits: | Conditional Use Permit, for parcels zoned LDR ROW permit(s) Civil Permit(s) Building Permit(s) Pierce County Permit(s) Compliance with all State and Federal regulations |
| Comment Period(s): | Any persons desiring to submit written comments concerning this application may submit written comments to Chrissanda Walker of the Development Services Department. City of Sumner, 1104 Maple Street, Sumner, WA 98390 no later than 5:00 PM on August 15th, 2024 |
| Staff Contact: | For comments/questions, please contact Chrissanda Walker, Associate Planner 253-299-5528, chrissandaw@sumnerwa.gov |
| Published: | July 31st, 2024 |
| Posted/Mailed: | August 1, 2024 |
