Hearing examiner takes public testimony on NextEra’s proposed Mount Vernon battery storage project

Rativ Majumdar, Skagit County hearing examiner, opened a land-use hearing on Dec. 12 in the hearing examiner chambers to establish a factual record for a special‑use permit application by NextEra Energy Resources for a utility‑scale battery energy storage system near the Puget Sound Energy Fredonia substation.

Brandon Black, senior planner with Skagit County Planning and Development Services, told the hearing that the application (PL23‑0408) proposes a battery energy storage system (BESS) with a four‑hour duration sited across two parcels in the Bayview Ridge Heavy Industrial zoning designation. Black said the facility was described in the application as “capable of storing up to 200 MWh of energy by a 4 hour duration” and that it would interconnect to the Fredonia substation via a 115‑kilovolt gen‑tie line of roughly 1,750 feet.

The department has classified the proposed use as a “major utility development” under Skagit County Code and, following its review and a SEPA (State Environmental Policy Act) process, recommended approval with conditions. Black told the examiner the department’s recommended special‑use permit includes 25 conditions listed in Exhibit 1 and that the county issued a mitigated determination of nonsignificance on June 11, 2024, with 18 mitigation measures attached.

Why it matters: the Bayview Ridge area is a long‑standing industrial zone located near working farms, an airport environs overlay and critical drainage and wetland areas. The hearing was the county’s formal opportunity to compile evidence and public testimony before the examiner issues a written decision on whether the special‑use permit complies with county code and applicable state and federal requirements.

Project details and county review

Black said the project site spans about 22.55 acres of a roughly 31.29‑acre combined property, with the applicant sometimes describing the area used by the facility differently in various application materials (the applicant and county staff also referenced a 17.7‑acre footprint in some exhibits). The facility as presented to the county would use up to 92 power conversion system (PCS) units and up to 368 cabinets on the site. The applicant has submitted civil and technical appendices for fire safety, commissioning and decommissioning; several appendices were submitted in abbreviated or confidential form and the county and hearing examiner confirmed full versions were on file for…