Nottingham Energy Storage Project

The Nottingham Energy Storage Project has been in development for more than four years and has been selected as a least-cost/least-risk resource to improve service to PGE customers in the area. The project will support system reliability and increase the utility’s ability to integrate least-cost energy resources, while providing a less impactful solution than just building transmission alone as a congestion relief measure.

The transmission system operated by the Bonneville Power Authority (BPA) in this area is increasingly congested and in need of significant new upgrades to keep up with demand. The Nottingham Energy Storage Project responds to this energy need in Washington County and Oregon. Without projects like this one, the region will struggle to meet energy demand and support job growth.

BrightNight is an American clean energy infrastructure developer and independent power producer (IPP) with significant projects underway in Oregon and the Pacific NW.

Many of our senior leadership are established members of the community, including our Portland-based president, Stefan Bird, and SVP, Scott Bolton.

We specialize in solar and battery energy storage projects, and we work closely with utilities to ensure “best fit” into their system needs. The Nottingham project is one of several in the region that will increase reliability and deliver clean energy to meet growing demand.

We have assembled one of the most experienced project development teams in the industry, and we take pride in our diligence in developing projects and in our ability to deliver for our customers and communities.

Planning and due diligence for this project has been underway for several years. As part of that work BrightNight representatives (Stefan Bird, President; Scott Bolton, SVP External Affairs; Todd Ellwood, Sr. Dir. Permitting; Jess Melin, EVP Development) have met with City officials (Tim Rosener, Mayor; Craig Sheldon, City Manager; Eric Rutledge Community Dev Director; and Ryan Adams, City Attorney).

We have also spoken with congressional and state policymakers including the office of Senators Wyden and Merkley, the offices of Rep. Bonamici and Gov. Kotek, Sen. Neron Misslin, Rep. Rieke Smith, Rep. Salinas and her staff, and the office of Rep. Bynum.

BrightNight has been in active development of this project for over four years. We have proactively engaged local municipalities and communities, at both the technical and political levels.

We have reached out to the City of Sherwood over the years and provided project updates and plans with its staff. In October 2023, BrightNight met with City staff with its final project description, including the transmission route.

We have also reached out to the Mayor in January and February 2025 to provide an overview of the project and its value to Washington County and the local community, providing a project overview and link to the project website for more information.

BrightNight has joined the local Chamber of Commerce and sponsored the Sherwood Robin Hood Festival.

We have been in communication with local stakeholders including the USFWS and the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge, along with the Friends of the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge and Tualatin Riverkeepers.

BrightNight held a meeting with the Friends on the project site on April 30th and a public Open House at the project site on May 2nd.

The location of the Nottingham Energy Storage Center and other utility projects in the area are driven by the location of the Sherwood Substation, a critical node in PGE’s network that is essential for delivering power to the region. By leveraging an already established energy corridor where both priorities have been balanced over time, this location minimizes the need for extended tie-in lines, which would have a greater overall impact on the region.

The substation and associated transmission lines were established well before the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge expanded into this area, and there are no records of bird deaths tied to the line. As this longstanding compatibility illustrates, vital energy infrastructure and bird habitat can successfully co-exist.

As an alternatives analysis prepared for the county special use permit showed, the project cannot be sited elsewhere due to a combination of technical, locational, and land availability constraints.

We evaluated over 40 potential sites, many of which were close to residential areas. We found that only the selected site met the project requirements.

• The project must be located within approximately one mile of the Sherwood Substation to ensure efficient interconnection, minimize electrical losses, and meet system reliability needs, making it inherently location dependent.
• The project requires a contiguous area of relatively flat, buildable land with access and sufficient space to meet safety and code requirements.

No

Based on the location of the Project in relationship to the Sherwood Substation, the gen-tie line will not cross the primary flyway associated with the Onion Flats wetlands.

To reduce any remaining risk of bird injuries, BrightNight will design, construct, and operate the Project’s gen-tie transmission line in accordance with the recommendations of the Avian Power Line Interaction Committee (APLIC), the electric utility industry’s recognized authority on avian protection. APLIC guidance was developed collaboratively by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), electric utilities, state and federal wildlife agencies, and technical experts, and is widely recognized as the industry standard for minimizing avian interactions with power lines.

Consistent with APLIC recommendations, the Project’s gen-tie will be equipped with appropriately spaced bird flight diverters installed on the overhead shield wire to increase the visibility of the line to birds in flight. Because the overhead shield wire is the component of a transmission line most frequently involved in bird collisions, increasing its visibility is considered one of the most effective measures for reducing collision risk. Flight diverters have been demonstrated to reduce avian collisions, particularly for larger birds and in areas where birds frequently travel or during low-light conditions. BrightNight will install and maintain these avian protection measures throughout the operational life of the Project as part of its commitment to implementing industry best management practices and minimizing the potential for avian collisions.

Undergrounding the gen-tie for this project is impractical for this project for several reasons.

First, the line would need to be buried in a known floodplain where saturated, unstable soils increase the risk of shifting, erosion, and/or long-term damage to the underground lines. Higher groundwater levels can interfere with insulation making it difficult to keep the lines dry and reliable. Flooding conditions also complicate construction, access, and repairs, often requiring extensive excavation in challenging conditions.

Second, because the line operates at 230 kilovolts (kV), it will require large, heavily insulated cables and substantial underground vault infrastructure, resulting in extensive ground disturbance during construction and long-term environmental impacts. The scale of excavation and specialized facilities needed would significantly disrupt soils, habitats, and hydrology, particularly near sensitive areas. These requirements also make underground installation far more complex and costly to build, operate, and maintain compared to overhead alternatives.

Third, a buried 230-kV gen-tie typically takes significantly longer to repair during both planned and unplanned outages because faults are harder to locate and require excavation, specialized crews, and more complex equipment. In contrast, overhead lines are easier to inspect, access, and restore quickly. As a result, using a buried line for a heavily dispatched resource such as the Nottingham Project increases the risk of prolonged outages, which can reduce overall system reliability and delay the delivery of power to the grid.

Fourth, undergrounding the line in this area would require the removal and re-build of an existing sewer line, thus adding to the cost and complexity of undergrounding as a feasible solution.

A BESS project consists of multiple battery enclosures that house the batteries. Apart from the batteries, each enclosure will have independent temperature control, safety systems and communication equipment. Enclosures are placed on concrete pads or piles on the ground that support the weight of the enclosures. Conduits will be dug for cabling from battery enclosures to the inverters and from inverters to the project substation.

This project will include only current-generation lithium-ion batteries, which incorporate the latest technologies and greatly exceed first generation batteries for both performance and safety. In addition, BrightNight has uses multiple layers of safety design and coordination to protect the surrounding community in the unlikely event of a fire at the Tualatin BESS facility.

The facility is being designed to comply with all applicable county and state fire and safety codes and has been developed in coordination with Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue. A fire planning and emergency response plan will be in place during facility operations.

The system will include UL-compliant energy storage equipment with integrated safety management and fire protection systems specifically designed to detect, contain, and manage thermal events.

Finally, the design ensures that, in the unlikely event of a fire, it will be contained and prevented from spreading to adjacent batteries, equipment, or surrounding areas—thereby minimizing risk to the broader community.

Yes. We are currently in conversation with community organizations about useful contributions and we welcome additional suggestions and proposals for how to improve the local area and create lasting, positive impact.

The main project site where the BESS will be located adjacent to Highway 99 and Home Depot property. We are incorporating vegetative screening as part of our site design to reduce visual impacts and better integrate the facility into the surrounding landscape. This includes planting and maintaining native vegetation around the perimeter to provide year-round screening and soften views from nearby properties and roadways. The approach is intended to complement existing vegetation where possible, while ensuring compatibility with operational and safety requirements. Due to these considerations and its proximity to Hwy-99, the project will have a minimal visual impact to those who use the publicly accessible areas of the Refuge.

PGE has identified this project as critical, least-cost, least-risk addition to meeting the reliability needs of their system. Without critical energy infrastructure, other solutions would be more expensive, and the likelihood of service disruptions could be higher.

The Nottingham Energy Storage Project has the support of local labor unions and chambers of commerce because of the good jobs to be created during the construction phase, and because of the long-term impact on the region’s ability to attract and retain anchor employers. Direct economic benefits to the community include:

• 175 to 200 direct and indirect local jobs
• $19.6 million in associated local wages and benefits

Over a 20-year period:

• $37.6 million in cumulative local revenue from taxation of the land and taxation of the associated capital investments (in 2026 dollars). Undeveloped, this land would generate approximately
• $14,000 in tax revenue over the same time period.

In addition to substantial job creation during the construction stage, BrightNight estimates that the facility will create 1 permanent direct operational job and 3 indirect jobs. These employees will maintain and monitor the facility for safety and performance.

The owners of BESS projects, such as BrightNight, are required by their lease agreements with landowners to decommission the project. In addition, many jurisdictions at either the city, county and/or state level, also require bonding be established to ensure the decommissioning of the project once it has reached the end of its useful life.

Neither the county nor the landowners will be responsible for any costs associated with removing the project or restoring the land to its original condition.

Kathleen Campanella
Senior Director, Development
850-714-3094
kathleen.campanella@brightnightpower.com

Scott Bolton
Senior Vice President, External Affairs
503-781-7247
scott.bolton@brightnightpower.com