FERC Seeks Comments by November 6 on Badger Mountain Pumped Storage, a Proposed 500-Megawatt Two-Reservoir Hydro Project Near East Wenatchee, Washington

What a Declaration of Intention decides

This is not a license application. Under Section 23(b)(1) of the Federal Power Act, FERC must decide whether the project falls under its licensing authority. FERC looks at whether the project would sit on a navigable waterway, occupy federal lands, use surplus water or power from a government dam, or affect interstate commerce on a stream Congress regulates. If FERC finds it has jurisdiction, the project would need a FERC license.

What is proposed

The filing describes a closed-loop pumped storage plant. It would not sit on a river. Initial fill and makeup water would come from treated wastewater from Douglas County Sewer District No. 1's treatment plant.

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• Upper reservoir: a 15- to 75-foot-high, 8,000-foot-long earthen embankment forming a 78-acre reservoir holding 3,090 acre-feet.
• Lower reservoir: a 40-foot-high, 650-foot-long earthen dam forming a reservoir holding 3,380 acre-feet, with a possible 15-foot-high, 900-foot-long secondary embankment on the east end.
• Tunnels: a 17-foot-diameter, 200-foot-high vertical shaft, a 5,600-foot lined headrace tunnel and a 200-foot tailrace tunnel.
• Powerhouse: in a 220-foot-high, 100-foot-diameter vertical shaft beside the lower reservoir, with two 250-megawatt reversible pump-turbines (500 MW total).
• Grid tie: a 0.25-mile transmission line to nearby lines.
• Estimated output: about 832,200 megawatt-hours a year.

Pumped storage works like a large battery: it pumps water uphill when power is cheap or plentiful and releases it through turbines when demand is high.

How to comment

• File through FERC's eFiling, or send brief comments (up to 6,000 characters) through eComment at ferc.gov, citing DI26-5-000. Include your name and contact information.
• Paper filings go to the Secretary of the Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.
• Only people who file a motion to intervene become parties to the case.
• FERC contact: Maryam Akhavan, (202) 502-6110. The applicant's agent is listed as rPlus Energies, LLC of Salt Lake City.

Source

• Federal Register, October 13, 2026, FR Doc. 2026-20883 (91 FR 64914), FERC, "Badger Mountain Hydro, LLC; Notice of Declaration of Intention and Soliciting Comments, Protests, and Motions To Intervene," Docket No. DI26-5-000 (filed July 31, 2026).

Notes and sources

1. Image: The Columbia River valley at Wenatchee, Washington, seen from Badger Mountain (file photo, illustrative; not the project site). Photo: Todd Petit via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0).
2. Author: Ryan Standley / Record of Sale, LLC / Notice Nearby.
3. Discussed on @NoticeNearYou: (pending — fill xPostUrl after live post).
4. Not legal advice. Not a newspaper. Not Legal Publication. Record of Sale, LLC (Oregon).