Project Overview

The Seabrooke Renewable Energy Facility (“Seabrooke”) is a proposed renewable energy generator that will deliver approximately 200 MW of backup power to the local electrical grid, providing important energy resiliency and security benefits to Kitsap County and the region. Project development is being led by Tenaska, an independent energy company with over 35 years of proven expertise developing generating assets and other energy solutions to meet community needs.

Seabrooke is being explored in response to needs identified by local utilities who are planning for the region’s energy future. The project is proposed as a reliability resource that will operate on locally produced renewable biofuel during periods of peak demand to deliver backup power to the electrical grid, providing important energy resiliency and energy security benefits to Kitsap County. The use of renewable biofuels complies with Washington’s Clean Energy Transformation Act (CETA) and offers a significant reduction in carbon footprint over coal, natural gas, and petroleum diesel. The project will run infrequently and primarily when needed to help keep the lights on for families, businesses and critical infrastructure on the Kitsap Peninsula. The proposed facility will have on-site fuel storage capacity capable of providing reserve power for extended durations.

Project Status

Seabrooke is in the early stages of development, including evaluation of its optimal project design to meet the needs of the community. Once project details have been finalized, local permitting efforts will commence, and additional information will be shared with stakeholders in the community for review and feedback. Construction will only begin once the permitting and approval process is complete and electrical grid authorizations are in place.

Project Location

The Seabrooke Renewable Energy Facility will be located at or near the Kitsap Quarry in Bremerton, WA, on 12-16 acres in a remote and secluded industrial location. The site location allows for a low-impact development profile and interconnection into the region’s electrical grid.

Project Benefits

Energy Reliability and Resiliency

The Seabrooke Renewable Energy Facility will help ensure regional power system reliability by adding new firm, long-duration, dispatchable energy capacity. New supply capacity is needed as the region retires several very large coal-burning power plants. In addition, several electric transmission system deficiencies have been identified in Kitsap County. The Kitsap Peninsula is home to over 275,000 residents, a growing economy, and critical infrastructure, including national security interests, that are particularly vulnerable to the risk of energy shortfalls. This project will help meet the long-term goal of establishing backup options that ensure power is always available, especially as the region’s population and demand for electricity continues to expand.

Jobs and Investment

Seabrooke will create 130-150 peak construction jobs and 4-6 full time operations jobs, generate new tax revenue for the community, and invest millions of dollars into Kitsap County through local sourcing of plant equipment, construction materials, and labor. By increasing energy reliability and security, Seabrooke will boost investor confidence and lay a strong foundation for the future of the region’s economy.

Supporting Washington’s Clean Energy Future

The Washington Clean Energy Transformation Act (CETA), passed in 2019, requires the state’s electricity supply to be free of greenhouse gas emissions by 2045. The Seabrooke Renewable Energy Facility will play an important role in supporting the region’s retirement of fossil fuel-fired resources and increasing use of intermittent renewable energy as Washington continues its transition to a carbon-free future. The facility will be critical to providing power when the renewable energy plants are unable to meet system needs.

Low Impact Development

Seabrooke requires a small physical footprint and will be sited in a secluded, existing industrial location at the Kitsap Quarry. It will not cause discernable noise or vibration impacts for nearby residents and air quality in surrounding neighborhoods will remain well within the required health-based standards. The facility will be regulated by the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, who will issue a permit limiting emissions and annual usage. Once constructed, Seabrooke will have a negligible impact on annual truck traffic volumes along both SR-3 and Werner Road. There will be no additional truck traffic along Archie Avenue W, Kitsap Lake Road NW, Price Road NW, Northlake Way NW, or Kitsap Way.

Environmentally Responsible

Seabrooke will run on CETA-compliant renewable biofuels, helping Washington State maintain grid reliability and providing a critical source of dispatchable reserve electricity supply to balance intermittent renewable energy like solar and wind. Biodiesel and renewable diesel are environmentally sustainable fuels which have been found by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to significantly reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions compared with coal, natural gas, and petroleum diesel. Biodiesel and renewable diesel are common fuels, with nearly 3.3 billion gallons consumed in the U.S. in 2021. Washington is one of the largest biodiesel producers in the country, with 100X more supply available than Seabrooke will require in a typical year.

Stakeholder Engagement

Seabrooke’s project development team is known for safe, efficient and environmentally responsible power generation, and recognizes the importance of engaging with local stakeholders early and often to ensure all voices are heard in the process. The permitting process will include multiple venues for public engagement and comment, which we value as opportunities to make the project better. Preliminary outreach within the local community has begun and further project details and updates will be shared when the design is final and as the timeline moves forward.