Miracles, Megawatts, and Mason County

Representative Travis Couture argues that Mason County is being blocked from pursuing large data center development. It is an appealing idea. Data centers bring jobs, tax revenue, and high-tech investment.

But there is a practical question worth asking. Can Mason County realistically compete for these projects at all? This post looks at one of the biggest factors in that answer: the cost of electricity.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

During the floor debate on HB 2515, Representative Couture delivered an emotional defense of Mason County’s chance at a “Miracle of Quincy”, a reference to the surge of data center development in Grant County powered by publicly owned hydropower and surplus transmission capacity that brought construction jobs, tax base growth, and national attention.

His remarks grew heated enough that the presiding Speaker, Clyde Shavers, gaveled Couture twice for crossing decorum lines. Couture framed the bill as denying Mason County a similar transformative opportunity.

Note: Public disclosure records from the Washington Public Disclosure Commission show that Representatives Couture, Griffey, and Senator MacEwan have received campaign contributions from individuals affiliated with Sabey Corporation, a major data center developer in Washington. See political-disclosure-reporting-data . Those contributions are legal. Voters can decide for themselves whether that alignment raises questions about priorities.

It’s a compelling narrative. But Quincy’s rise wasn’t a miracle of lighter regulation. It was the product of decades-old publicly owned hydropower and surplus transmission capacity, assets Mason County does not have. Mason has much higher cost of power than Grant County does. Mason's power mostly comes from the Columbia river, across the state and Western Washington's transmission system is already constrained.

The real question isn’t whether we want growth. We all do. The question is whether Mason families should absorb the cost of building transmission and generation infrastructure for a 200-megawatt data center when the underlying economics don’t align.

Emotion can fill a chamber, but Infrastructure determines who pays. HB 2515 is designed to ensure that residents in counties like Mason are not left covering the cost of large corporate expansions.

See floor debate video https://www.facebook.com/reel/1273823914612572

What the bill requires:

1. Utilities must create special tariffs or policies for emerging large energy use facilities (ELEUFs), which primarily include data centers. These tariffs must ensure that:

• The facility covers the full costs of its electricity service,

• New facilities commit long-term to the utility,

• Costs aren’t unfairly shifted to other ratepayers, and

• Facilities can curtail use during grid emergencies.

2. Facilities must demonstrate adequate power supply arrangements when requested by the utility. That can include showing how they plan to procure electricity, but it doesn’t explicitly require building generation facilities.

Public planning documents:

• Costs per county  WA State Electric Utility Resource Planning 2024

• Transmission lines cross the state from the Columbia River to Mason Co pdf

Comparing power sources:

Grant County power largely comes from Hydro generated at Wanapum Dam and Priest Rapids Dam. These dams together produce more than 6,000 GWh (Giga Watt Hours) per year. https://www.grantpud.org/generation

Mason County PUD No. 3: Does not own large dams. It buys power through contracts and wholesale markets, largely the Bonneville Power Administration on the Columbia River. That power requires transmission across the state to Mason Co.

Mason Co PUD No 1: The Lilliwaup Falls hydro plant produces roughly 5 GWh per year, and the Rocky Brook facility produces under 1 GWh per year. These local hydro resources are too small to meaningfully support a large data-center load without relying on regional transmission and BPA supply. lilliwaup-falls

Call to Action:

 HB 2515 is about who pays for infrastructure expansion. If you care about protecting Mason County ratepayers while still encouraging responsible growth, take a moment to review the bill and submit your comments to your legislators.

Corrections: On Mar 3rd, cost per kWh was updated.

Photo from Getty Images