Washington should make storage the next top clean energy priority | Opinion

Washington has long been a national leader in clean electricity. Thanks largely to hydropower, our state already operates one of the lowest-carbon electric grids in the country. Coal generation has been nearly eliminated, and utilities are now planning for a future with fewer traditional options available to balance supply and demand.

However, that progress brings a new challenge: reliability.

As electricity demand grows and weather patterns become less predictable, the grid must be able to deliver power during winter cold snaps, summer heat waves and periods when generation is constrained. That means flexibility matters just as much as clean energy production.

This is where long-duration energy storage becomes essential.

Pumped storage hydropower is one of the most proven and reliable forms of large-scale energy storage in the world. Filled once, pumped storage moves water between two reservoirs, allowing electricity to be stored when it is available and released when demand rises. The technology has been operating safely for nearly a century and provides long-duration storage that supports grid stability for eight to 20 hours and, in some cases, multiple days.

For Washington, pumped storage builds on an existing strength. It complements our other renewables, such as wind and solar, by capturing excess energy during lower-demand periods and delivering it back to the grid during periods of higher demand. That capability becomes increasingly important as the state relies on fewer dispatchable resources and faces growing seasonal and hourly demand swings.

Pumped storage projects also offer substantial advantages to local communities. Not only do they create hundreds of skilled, family-wage jobs during construction, but their ongoing operations also provide stable, long-term employment for decades to come. The average lifespan of a facility can last multiple generations. The oldest were built nearly a century ago and, in some cases, are still operating today. Additionally, local governments benefit from increased tax revenue, which helps fund essential services such as schools, infrastructure, and emergency response. These benefits are especially critical in rural areas.

And most importantly, long-duration energy storage plays a vital role in making energy more affordable. Pumped storage helps stabilize electricity prices and advances the state’s clean energy objectives by reducing dependence on costly emergency power.

At Rye Development, our work in Washington is guided by this long-term thinking. Pumped storage facilities are designed to operate for generations, which means community engagement, environmental stewardship and transparency are central to every project.

Washington’s clean energy transition is entering a more complex phase. The focus must now turn to ensuring the system can perform under real-world conditions, and pumped storage hydropower offers a practical, proven way to meet that challenge.

If Washington is serious about maintaining a reliable, affordable and carbon-free grid, long-duration energy storage must be part of the conversation and will, as a result, be part of the solution. We urge Washington’s congressional delegation to remember the benefits of pumped-storage hydropower and commit to policies that preserve and expand this important technology.

Erik Steimle is chief development officer of Rye Development.