Jupiter Battery Storage Proposal That Threatens Residents Moved To Public Hearing Under Public Pressure

The Real Story – A Column By Dirk Knudsen

The Hillsboro Herald has covered the pending approval for a massive Lithium-Ion Battery Storage system being proposed for placement in a residential community along West Union Road in North Hillsboro.  Known as Bendemeer, this 1,913-acre subdivision was laid out with 64 lots ranging from 1 to 5 acres to provide people with a place to live the country life.  Many people live happily in Bendemeer today, just as developer Robert B. Gould had hoped they would.  But neither he nor people like 50-year resident Sue Arney could have anticipated the arrival of Jupiter Energy and the proposal of a dangerous battery storage facility for the community.

When we last published about this story, the Washington County Planning Department was moving the proposal through very quickly with a Type II process, without a public hearing. The community members had no plans, no documents to review, and really no concept of what a Battery Storage system is, nor how they could live with one backed up to their homes.

Energy Giant Proposes 10-Acre Battery Facility in Rural Hillsboro Next To Homes

Within a few days of the article appearing in the Herald, a storm of activity was sparked.  Dozens of people contacted Washington County and sent emails raising concerns.  The Save Helvetia organization, the 1000 Friends of Oregon, and other watchdog groups are now carefully monitoring this situation. A community group is organizing and raising funds for legal representation and a land use battle.  On the ground, things are peaceful, but the storm is squarely over this community, and the forces are lining up.

A few days ago, one of the neighbors received an email from the County letting them know that, in response to all the concerns, the County has moved this process to a Type III and will require a Public Hearing before a Hearings Officer (an attorney).  Here is the email the Herald received from County Staff on Friday regarding this matter.

Thanks for your email. As there is significant interest in the Casefile L2500161 application, we elevated this application to a Type III development review process on Aug. 28. Type III applications include a public hearing. This public hearing is tentatively scheduled for 9 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 16, via Zoom. Responses to constituent emails that were sent out starting Thursday were provided with this information, and urged to visit the Frequently Discussed Development Applications webpage to view all document associated with the application.

Confirmation and public agenda notice, including details on how to participate, will be sent 20 days in advance of the hearing to all those who contacted the County and/or submitted public comments during the comment period. Property owners within a 1000-foot radius of the proposed development will receive the agenda via U.S. Mail.

The hearing is before an independent Hearings Officer to make sure the proposal meets the Community Development Code. In addition to accepting public testimony, the Hearings Officer approves or denies these applications. (See attached Land Development Process Fact Sheet.)

Staff is in the process of digitizing all comments received on this application. Once this process is complete, comments will be posted on the Frequently Discussed Development Applications webpage. I can send you a link to the files as soon as they are posted.

There will be a hearing, and it is easy to understand why the people deserve it and why one is needed.  Public safety, the peaceful enjoyment of life, and life itself are at risk here.  These Lithium Battery Storage Facilities are no joke.

Are There Other BESS Battery Storage Facilities In Our Region, and Are Any Near Residences?

The answer to that question is a crucial one.  For the Jupiter Energy project to be approved in the AF-5 zoned lands in Bendermeer, the developers will need to demonstrate that it is a compatible use.  That is hard to do when the facility is noisy, lit up, and comprised of batteries capable of catching on fire and spewing Hydrofluoric Acid across the area, as the Moss Landing Fire did in California recently. 1.700 people had to be evacuated as a result and property damage was extensive.

While driving in North Hillsboro yesterday, I happened upon a heavily secured gate with chemical warnings posted all over it.  Then I saw the words “Lithium Ion Batteries” and realized this was a BESS Battery Storage array that PGE had just built.  The Constable BESS, as it is called, went in quietly at the end of last year, and it is parked right adjacent to both Flexential and T5 Data Center complexes.  It is also adjacent to two massive substations.  You know what it isn’t adjacent to?  Homes!  There is not a single home anywhere nearby, and it is about a mile to the nearest rooftops, which are slightly North and not directly downwind, unlike many residences near the Bendemeer site.

With some difficulty, I managed to take a photo between the tightly spaced steel fence grids.  This Contable site is a big one, and it was approved in relative secrecy.

Here is a closer look at the gate warnings and what these codes mean to fire and emergency response teams.

Let’s decode the NFPA 704 hazard diamonds shown on the gate for the UPS and BESS Transformer. These diamonds are the standardized way to show chemical risks for first responders.

🔹 UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) — Diamond reads 3 (Blue) | 0 (Red) | 2 (Yellow)

• Health (Blue 3): Serious or permanent injury risk on short exposure. Protective gear is required.

• Flammability (Red 0): Will not burn under normal conditions.

• Reactivity (Yellow 2): Unstable at high temperature/pressure. Can react violently with water or other chemicals.

• Special (White, blank here): No extra symbol given.

👉 Translation: The UPS has serious health hazards (likely toxic chemicals inside batteries/electrolytes), is not easily flammable, but can undergo dangerous chemical reactions under stress.

🔹 BESS Transformer — Diamond reads 2 (Blue) | 1 (Red) | 0 (Yellow)

• Health (Blue 2): Intense or continued exposure could cause temporary incapacitation or residual injury.

• Flammability (Red 1): Must be preheated or strongly exposed to ignite.

• Reactivity (Yellow 0): Normally stable, does not react dangerously.

• Special (White, blank here): No extra symbol given.

👉 Translation: The transformer fluid/materials present a moderate health hazard, are slightly flammable, but are otherwise chemically stable.

✅ Big Picture:

• The UPS (3-0-2) is the most dangerous element here — toxic, corrosive, and chemically unstable if something goes wrong.

• The BESS transformer (2-1-0) is less risky but still carries chemical and fire hazards.

• The breaker switches (0-1-0) are minor in comparison.

In researching PGE and its development into Battery Storage facilities, some things became clear.  The approval process is highly guarded, with much of the information nondisclosed. The actual locations are not even published, and no matter what we did, we could not officially locate the other sites.  Here is what we were able to find out.

Residential Proximity of PGE’s Major BESS Facilities

Portland General Electric (PGE) recently brought three major battery energy storage systems (BESS) online—Seaside, Sundial, and Constable—as part of an expansion adding 475 MW / 1.9 GWh capacity to the Portland metro area Washington State Standard+13Portland General Electric+13Renewable Watch+13bestmag.co.uk+9Power Systems Technology+9Energy Storage+9.

Here’s what we know about their siting and nearby residential areas:

1. Seaside – North Portland (200 MW / 800 MWh)

• Strategically located at a key substation in North Portland Eolian+2Renewable Watch+2.

• Public sources describe it as sited at a substation, but do not explicitly mention nearby housing or residential adjacency.

• Without detailed maps or zoning data, it appears not to be directly adjacent to residential neighborhoods, although proximity cannot be fully excluded without GIS zoning review.

2. Sundial – Troutdale (200 MW / 800 MWh)

• Situated at a major substation in Troutdale Eolian+7bestmag.co.uk+7Energy Storage+7.

• There’s no publicly available detail indicating it is adjacent to homes.

• Development was completed without reported public controversies—suggesting it likely resides in an industrial or utility zone not directly bordering residential areas.

3. Constable – Hillsboro (75 MW / 300 MWh)

• Located at a substation in Hillsboro, also known as “Evergreen” Portland General Electric+8Energy Storage+8bestmag.co.uk+8.

• No specific information describes it as adjacent to residential neighborhoods.

• It appears similar in siting rationale to Seaside and Sundial—tucked within substation infrastructure rather than residential zones.

NONE OF THEM IS IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA.  There is a reason for that, ask the people of Moss Landing.

We researched where Jupiter Energy has actually built facilities like the one they desire to develop in our community, next to private homes. What we found out speaks volumes.

✅ Operational Jupiter Power BESS Projects

Texas (ERCOT grid) – main focus so far:

• Callisto I – Harris County: 200 MW / 400 MWh (COD 2024)

• St. Gall – Pecos County: 100 MW / 200 MWh (COD 2024)

• House Mountain – Brewster County: 60 MW / 120 MWh (COD 2023)

• Swoose II – Ward County: 100 MW / 200 MWh (COD 2022)

• Crossett – Crane County: 200 MW / 200 MWh (COD 2022)

• Flower Valley II – Reeves County: 100 MW / 200 MWh (COD 2022)

• Triple Butte I – Pecos County: 7.5 MW / 15 MWh (COD 2021)

• Flower Valley I – Reeves County: 9.9 MW / 19.8 MWh (COD 2021)

• Swoose I – Ward County: 9.9 MW / 19.8 MWh (COD 2021)

🚧 Under Development / Announced BESS Projects

• Tidwell Prairie (TX) – part of 300 MW / 800 MWh package with Tibbits, financed in 2025.

• Tibbits (MI) – part of 300 MW / 800 MWh package with Tidwell Prairie, financed in 2025.

• Trimount (Everett, MA) – BESS replacing old oil terminal, now in permitting.

• Oyster Shore (NY) – planned 275 MW BESS, cancelled after community opposition.

📊 Summary Table: Jupiter Power BESS

Takeaway

• Every Jupiter Power project is a utility-scale BESS (Battery Energy Storage System).

• They are sited next to substations and transmission lines, not in residential neighborhoods.

• Their fleet is concentrated in Texas, with expansion to Michigan and the Northeast.

As for the Oyster Shore facility being cancelled, and being the only one next to residences, that did not happen without a massive fight by the community.  The locals were organized, the school district got involved and opposed it, local officials did not want it, and environmental groups dug in and fought.  Oregon and Washington County seem so naive that no one in positions of power even knows what is happening.  That will change as neighbors organize and news outlets like the Herald do the hard work of getting community leaders to go on the record.

Read more about the Oyster Shore project here-

https://www.liherald.com/stories/jupiter-power-pulls-plug-on-oyster-shore-project,215238

The Herald will keep its readers and the entire community engaged as this proposal, which certainly appears completely incompatible with the neighbors, moves ahead.  Great job to all who applied pressure and moved this project forward to a Type III public hearing.  The County staff, under pretty intense pressure, made the right decision.

Technical documents about the PGE-approved projects we referenced are here.  Much of the information is redacted and hidden by PGE.

https://assets.ctfassets.net/416ywc1laqmd/5wauRPYRVVrMzoMLFbEJnh/6d2f73f5aefe7e0789ea16f1418695ea/PGE_Exhibit_500.pdf

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