Energy

Weigh in on pending energy code changes for housing, other construction projects

Mon, 20 Jul 2026 21:00:00 -0400

One of the state’s leading construction industry advocates is encouraging its members to weigh in on the good and the bad in the latest update of the state’s 2024 energy code before it’s adopted.

Benton REA consolidates 3 offices, 5 warehouses into one hub

rachel@tcjournal.biz — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 11:00:00 -0400

A new 40,000-square-foot headquarters will let Benton REA consolidate scattered offices and warehouses into one West Richland location by summer's end.

DOE pushes dual-path Hanford cleanup plan

ty@tcjournal.biz — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 06:00:00 -0400

Months after denying a strategy shift, DOE is advancing a plan to grout more Hanford tank waste instead of vitrifying it – drawing state and watchdog pushback.

Western governors establish multi-state task force to update the region’s transmission lines

Thu, 02 Jul 2026 21:00:00 -0400

A bipartisan group of 11 Western governors, including Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson, signed a letter endorsing the establishment of a multi-state task force to develop a study and action plan to update the region’s energy grid.

WA Commerce awards $2.5M for Franklin County renewable natural gas facility

Sun, 28 Jun 2026 21:00:00 -0400

A $70 million project to install an anaerobic digester to convert dairy cow manure to renewable natural gas at a Franklin County dairy just got a financial boost from the state.

The tab to keep a Pacific Northwest coal plant on standby keeps rising. Who will pay?

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 21:00:00 -0400

The Alberta-based owner of the Centralia facility has proposed to split the tab for keeping the plant ready between Bonneville Power Administration and CAISO, the manager of California’s wholesale electric grid.

Washington’s gas tax is going up, but state transportation revenue is falling short

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 08:42:51 -0400

Even with the changes, revenues for the state’s two-year transportation budget are expected to be millions of dollars lower than previously forecast as demand for gas declines, fee collections drop, and there is continuing uncertainty around how much federal transportation funding for states will be available.

New administrator named for BPA

ty@tcjournal.biz — Tue, 23 Jun 2026 21:00:00 -0400

A Montana native who has spent much of his professional career working in, regulating or advocating for the energy industry will be the next administrator of the Bonneville Power Administration.

BFT free fares in July

Mon, 22 Jun 2026 21:00:00 -0400

Looking to save some money until gas prices drop? Ben Franklin Transit may be able to help you in July.

Ribbon cutting planned for Benton REA’s headquarters

Mon, 15 Jun 2026 21:00:00 -0400

Benton Rural Electric Association’s new West Richland headquarters will be celebrated with a ribbon cutting ahead of its mid-July opening.

Federal energy bill brings mixed news for Hanford, PNNL workers

ty@tcjournal.biz — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 11:00:00 -0400

Thousands of Tri-Cities workers at the Hanford nuclear site and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory are watching a federal budget process that could determine whether a second consecutive year of deep job cuts can be avoided.

Supreme Court ruling on controversial wind farm may come soon

ty@tcjournal.biz — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 11:00:00 -0400

The fate of a proposed wind farm that would be spread across the Horse Heaven Hills may be just weeks away from being decided.

PNNL, partners release guide for data center development

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 09:00:00 -0400

As data centers increasingly dominate conversations around the country, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and two partners have published a one-stop shop to help guide development.

Data centers are driving demand for gas from Northwest utilities, reports find

abaumhardt@americanpublicmedia.org — Sun, 07 Jun 2026 21:00:00 -0400

Umatilla Electric Cooperative in Hermiston is one of six utilities across Washington and Oregon that have absorbed the bulk of energy demands of data centers in the region. A growing number of utilities are using booming data center demand to justify skirting climate rules in both states that mostly ban the build-out of new gas infrastructure, citing the need for regional energy reliability.

Three new EV charging locations coming to Benton County

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 21:00:00 -0400

A state agency has awarded $2.4 million to support 16 new electric vehicle charging slots across three sites in Benton County.

Yakamas protest clean energy project on sacred site to power data center

abaumhardt@americanpublicmedia.org — Thu, 28 May 2026 21:00:00 -0400

Supporters of a Goldendale pumped-hydro energy storage project have said it will help meet growing regional energy demand, and the project developers tout its potential to one day power up to half a million homes without sending harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. But mounting evidence shows a large data center campus could be among the main beneficiaries of that power.

BPA officials cautiously optimistic halfway through fiscal year

Mon, 18 May 2026 21:00:00 -0400

Bonneville Power Administration’s financial performance is a mixed bag at the halfway point of its fiscal year but its leaders say the agency is still on track to meet most of its end-of-year targets.

Feds award Framatome $8.8 million to expand production

ty@tcjournal.biz — Sun, 17 May 2026 21:00:00 -0400

Framatome is one of a handful of companies that will receive federal funding to build out fuel production for the next generation of nuclear power reactors, and that money is coming directly to its Richland plant.

Hanford advocates push back on proposed federal cleanup cuts

ty@tcjournal.biz — Thu, 14 May 2026 11:00:00 -0400

The Trump administration’s proposed cuts to Hanford cleanup funding is drawing backlash from Washington officials, unions and watchdog groups, despite DOE assurances that critical work will continue uninterrupted.

The electric grid tradeoffs Washington can’t ignore

Thu, 14 May 2026 11:00:00 -0400

The debate over salmon recovery and hydropower in the Northwest has shifted into a broader fight over grid reliability and cost, with critics arguing that reducing hydropower without reliable replacements risks worsening already strained electricity supply and sharply increasing prices for customers.

This site offers one stop for Hanford job seekers

ty@tcjournal.biz — Thu, 14 May 2026 11:00:00 -0400

A new jobs website aggregates job postings from every prime Hanford site contractor and other energy-adjacent employers such as Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Energy Northwest and Framatome.

Grant to help equip students for high-demand nuclear jobs

ty@tcjournal.biz — Thu, 14 May 2026 11:00:00 -0400

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy recently awarded a $1.4 million grant to WSU to develop a Reactor Ready Training Program to address workforce gaps in the nuclear industry.

He asked for a seat – and now he runs the school

ty@tcjournal.biz — Thu, 14 May 2026 11:00:00 -0400

More than a decade after a Hanford-focused trade school closed, Atomic Technical Institute is helping to fill a gap in training for environmental and nuclear safety jobs, creating a new pathway for workers to enter and advance in a field critical to the region’s workforce.

Richland moves to buy long vacant $7.75M building for police station

rachel@tcjournal.biz — Thu, 14 May 2026 11:00:00 -0400

Richland’s city council has agreed to buy a long vacant seven-story building off Jadwin Avenue to replace its current police station, and is banking on money from the sale of land for a data center to help fund the project.

How the Strait of Hormuz affects the price of filling your gas tank

Wed, 13 May 2026 21:00:00 -0400

Even though the U.S. now imports far less oil from the Persian Gulf than it once did, disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz still drive up gasoline prices because oil is traded on a global market. When supply tightens anywhere, prices rise everywhere – including at American gas pumps.

Trump signs Newhouse-supported hydropower bill

Tue, 12 May 2026 21:00:00 -0400

President Donald Trump has signed a broadly bipartisan bill that will extend deadlines for construction to begin on hydropower projects around the country.

PNNL program highlights highly qualified contractors, technicians

Mon, 11 May 2026 21:00:00 -0400

Overwhelmed by the sheer number of contractors and other trade professionals as you plan for a home project? Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is helping to make sure the most qualified can stand out from the rest, at least online.

Feds sign off on expanded license for Framatome’s Richland plant

ty@tcjournal.biz — Wed, 06 May 2026 21:00:00 -0400

A nuclear fuel manufacturing facility north of Richland is continuing its march to be on the front line of providing advanced fuels and technologies to the burgeoning U.S. nuclear energy industry.

Report: Nearly half of Americans oppose data centers in their communities

Mon, 04 May 2026 21:00:00 -0400

Artificial intelligence is increasingly becoming part of daily life but the infrastructure that supports it is something many Americans want no part of.

X-energy goes public

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 21:00:00 -0400

You can now buy stock in the company planning to build the next generation of nuclear reactors north of Richland in partnership with Amazon and Energy Northwest.