Robert Knoll, senior government affairs representative for Puget Sound Energy (PSE), told the Sedro‑Woolley City Council that Washington’s Clean Energy Transformation Act (CETA) sets binding benchmarks that are driving a rapid change in how PSE sources and stores electricity.

Knoll outlined the law’s milestones — the company expects a major emission milestone in 2025 when an out‑of‑state coal facility serving the region will be retired, a target of roughly 80% non‑emitting supply by 2030 and a statutory goal of 100% non‑emitting supply by 2045 — and described the scale of new generation and grid work PSE says will be necessary to meet those requirements.

“Since 2019 when CETA passed, we’ve procured and are operating 3,800 megawatts of clean energy,” Knoll said. He described an all‑of‑the‑above procurement strategy that includes renewables, hybrid thermal peaking resources and storage. Knoll said PSE has issued multiple all‑source requests for proposals and is evaluating projects to add roughly 1,500 megawatts of battery energy storage across its service territory to manage intermittency and help meet the near‑term need for dispatchable supply.

Knoll emphasized transmission constraints and the scale of required new build: many of the large projects that would supply clean energy sit outside the central Puget Sound, requiring additional long‑distance transmission and coordination with the Bonneville Power Administration. He said grid modernization, distribution upgrades and demand‑response programs will all be necessary to integrate new resources and growing loads — particularly electric vehicles and potential large commercial consumers such as data centers.

Council members and residents used the presentation to press PSE about local siting and safety for battery storage facilities. Councilman Kock cited high‑profile battery fires elsewhere and said a local fire chief had described cell‑level events as explosive: “when the fires would reach an EV battery when it blew up it sounded like a grenade,” he said. Multiple council members and residents asked whether PSE would urge developers to reconsider siting near farmland, waterways and populated areas.

Knoll said PSE monitors safety developments and that codes and industry practice have evolved since earlier incidents such as the Moss Landing facility fire; he pointed to California’s post‑fire code changes and noted Washington already has stringent codes. He also said PSE can and does review proposals but that some projects may be built and then request service from PSE as a utility customer. Knoll said PSE is not directly involved in permitting decisions made by counties or by the state Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council (EFSEC), but that the company is in conversations with project proposers and county officials.

Residents raised other concerns. Connie Crier, a local commentator, urged PSE to “tell FSEC it is not the most conducive location” for storage sited near Hansen Creek, Padilla Bay and protected farmland, and accused the utility of attempting to “greenwash” the impacts of storage facilities. Council members asked PSE to return for a focused session on local proposals and invited additional public engagement and technical briefings from company staff.

Knoll closed by listing local programs and partnerships: a $45 million federal grant for grid resiliency, a Samish Island microgrid project to increase local reliability, work on fish passage at Baker and public‑facing assets at the Baker Project, which he encouraged council members to visit.

No formal action or vote resulted from this presentation; multiple council members requested a future, more focused work session on battery energy storage siting and public safety.