Snoqualmie Residents Rally Against 130MW Energy Storage Project Amid Moss Landing Fire Concerns

Opposition Grows Against 130MW Energy Storage Project Near Seattle

King County, Washington — More than a year after the Moss Landing battery fire disaster, opposition to a massive energy storage project in Snoqualmie is intensifying, threatening to delay development. Jupiter Power’s Cascade Ridge Resiliency Energy Storage project, a 130-megawatt facility, is proposed for unincorporated county land near a substation and transmission infrastructure.

Residents have voiced strong opposition, with 650 protesters—a significant turnout for a city of about 14,000—rallying against the project over the weekend. The application was submitted to county regulators the same weekend, escalating tensions.

Grassroots Group Leads Opposition with Fire Safety Concerns

The opposition is spearheaded by Snoqualmie Valley for Responsible Energy (SVRE), a grassroots organization focused on the risks of thermal runaway in battery storage. SVRE has highlighted the Moss Landing fire as a cautionary example, stating in materials on their website:

"The battery chemistry proposed for Cascadia Ridge has not been verified in any public filing. Recent incidents illustrate what is at stake."

Jupiter Power Counters with Safety and Economic Arguments

Jupiter Power has responded with its own coalition, “Keep the Lights On!”, which includes local union labor and environmental volunteers from the Sierra Club. The group emphasizes that modern battery storage engineering differs significantly from the Moss Landing setup.

Despite these efforts, opposition voices have gained traction. On Wednesday night, the Snoqualmie City Council held a special meeting and voted to send a letter requesting the project’s relocation. The draft letter, presented by councilors, urged consideration of alternate locations within the Puget Sound Energy (PSE) transmission system to address community concerns.

The letter stated:

"We encourage consideration of alternate locations within the Puget Sound Energy transmission and distribution system to better address the concerns that have been raised."

Jupiter Power responded in a statement, saying it “welcome[s] any feedback from the community.” King County acknowledged the concerns, while PSE stated it had not received official notification of the council’s action and could not comment further.

Virginia Data Center Project Collapses After Legal Setbacks

Prince William County, Virginia — In a separate but related development, Compass Datacenters, a subsidiary of Brookfield, withdrew from the controversial Digital Gateway mega-project in Data Center Alley. The decision followed a court ruling that reversed key rezoning decisions and the county’s vote to drop its legal defense of the project.

The withdrawal drew praise from anti-AI data center advocates, signaling growing resistance to large-scale tech infrastructure projects in the region.