35
BESS FIRES REPORTED IN THE USA
5
FIRES AT CONVERGENT'S OWN SITES
330ft
EPA DANGER ZONE - FAMILIES LIVE CLOSER
0
WA STATE BESS SAFETY LAWS
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ROCHESTER, WA - THURSTON COUNTY
In March 26’, Thurston County approved a 5.4-megawatt lithium-ion Battery Energy Storage System at 7505 183rd Ave SW - on top of the drinking water aquifer for the entire area. Our fire chief opposed it. Nearly 500 residents (and counting) opposed it. The fight is not over.
35
BESS FIRES REPORTED IN THE USA
5
FIRES AT CONVERGENT'S OWN SITES
330ft
EPA DANGER ZONE - FAMILIES LIVE CLOSER
0
WA STATE BESS SAFETY LAWS
Most people in Rochester have never heard the acronym. Here's what it means and why it matters to your property, your water, and your family.
A BESS is a large industrial facility that stores electricity from the power grid and releases it back during periods of high demand. Think of it as a giant rechargeable battery; rows of industrial cabinets on a concrete pad, roughly the size of a parking lot. It runs 24 hours a day with no staff on site, monitored remotely. This also means a 24/7 hum, which doesn’t meet rural character rules.
5.4 megawatts. 20-year life span. Across from the PSE substation. Next to a school bus depot. On top of a Category I Critical Aquifer Recharge Area; the highest groundwater sensitivity classification the county has. The private company building it is Convergent Energy & Power. Puget Sound Energy would operate it. Convergent only leases the land, not owns. The liability stays with the taxpayer.
Convergent Energy & Power, a private company headquartered out of state, owns the facility. PSE leases and operates it. The benefit flows to a regional power grid and is sold elsewhere The risk - fire, contamination, property value loss, emergency response burden - falls entirely on the people who live in Rochester. The county determined this facility does not qualify as an essential public utility.
Washington State has no specific regulations governing where battery storage facilities can be sited, how far they must be from homes and wells, or what safety standards apply in rural areas. Thurston County is drafting new rules, but they won't be finished until December 2026 - well after construction could begin. This facility was approved under a catch-all zoning category not designed for battery storage.
Convergent Energy & Power has officially pulled its application for the controversial battery energy storage system (BESS) planned for 7505 183rd Ave SW in Rochester. Thurston County received the withdrawal request on June 26 and closed out the project the same day. This comes after months of organized pushback from residents concerned about fire safety and groundwater risks — concerns that stem largely from the fact that Thurston County doesn't yet have BESS-specific regulations in place. If Convergent wants to bring a similar project back in the future, they'll have to start over with a brand-new application. That said, a similar proposal from BrightNight LLC near Bucoda is still moving forward, and many of the same neighbors who fought this fight say they're ready to support Bucoda next. Stay tuned as this website updates to combat the Bucoda site!
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