Gov. Ferguson seeks $10M to help develop Eastern Wash. clean-energy hub
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson wants to spend $10 million on roads and utilities at a Richland industrial park where fertilizer, solar and potentially nuclear-fuel projects could take shape. The proposal is the latest step in a yearslong effort to bring clean-energy businesses to former Hanford land. Read More
Gov. Bob Ferguson is proposing $10 million to fund basic infrastructure needed for the Northwest Advanced Clean Energy Park, a master-planned industrial area in Eastern Washington that will foster development of large-scale clean energy, advanced manufacturing and supply chains. The proposal will be included in his 2027–29 capital budget.
If approved by lawmakers, the funding would support sewer, water, electrical and road infrastructure at the park.
“This investment will support thousands of good-paying jobs in the trades and advanced industries, and unlock billions in private investment,” Ferguson said in a statement.
The 1,641-acre site was formerly part of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, a sprawling federal property along the Columbia River near the Tri-Cities that is undergoing a massive environmental cleanup. Hanford was established during World War II to produce plutonium for the Manhattan Project.
According to the governor’s office, two projects have committed to locating at the park once infrastructure construction is complete: Atlas Agro’s low-carbon fertilizer production plant and the utility-scale Ruby Flats Solar Farm.
State officials said General Matter is also considering the location for producing advanced nuclear fuel for small reactors. That siting could potentially be beneficial for another project planned for the same area: Amazon, X-energy and Energy Northwest are developing plans for the Cascade Advanced Energy Facility, a nuclear plant comprised of clustered, small reactors.
In 2024, the Norwegian company Cenate expressed interest in building a factory at the park to produce lithium-ion battery components, according to the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business, ultimately withdrew its plans.
The Tri-Cities is also attracting fusion-energy investment. Last year, Seattle startup Avalanche Energy landed a $10 million grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce’s Green Jobs Grant Program to develop FusionWERX, a commercial-scale testing facility for fusion technologies. The project is being developed in an existing Port of Benton building in Richland.
Washington is heading into its 2027–29 biennial budget with a multibillion-dollar shortfall, but officials have not yet settled on a definitive public estimate.
Ferguson has acknowledged the scale of the gap but has not publicly specified an amount. The shortfall concerns the state’s operating budget, which is separate from the capital budget funding proposed for the energy park.
