OLYMPIA — A bill to give a financial lift to a major solar power project near Cle Elum won easy approval in the House Dec 12.
The bill, by Rep. Deb Eddy of Kirkland, doubles the renewable energy credits for power from the Teanaway Solar Reserve. That should significantly help backers obtain construction financing for the project, which is expected to create hundreds of jobs in Kittitas County, including spinoff manufacturing jobs.
The project also could move Washington into the forefront of solar power development.
“The entire electrical system is in the midst of a transformation,” Eddy said. “The introduction of wind power into our grid was only the beginning. The Teanaway project will bring utility-scale solar generation into the Washington mix, helping raise the profile of this renewable.”
The 80-9 vote for HB 1365 sends the measure to the Senate. A similar Eddy bill cleared the House in the 2011 regular session but died in the Senate, as discussed in a June article in The Daily Record in Ellensburg.
The timing of the bill is critical, as a federal tax credit for the project expires Dec. 31.