Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and U.S. Sen. Patty Murray hailed plans to build a power-hungry fertilizer plant in Richland as a win for developing a green economy in the Tri-Cities.
The political heavyweights weighed in as Atlas Agro North America announced this week that it has started an engineering study to scrutinize its $1.1 billion plan to create zero-carbon fertilizer for Northwest farmers out of air, water and clean energy.
The study will contribute to a decision about whether or not to build.
"Washington welcomes Atlas Agro and is excited to watch it develop the world's first commercial-scale green fertilizer plant," Inslee said in a statement released by Agro. "This is a meaningful example of what's possible as we build a clean, green hydrogen sector in our state and seize the economic opportunities of a zero-carbon future."
Murray praised the plant as "a game changer for farmers across Washington state and the entire Pacific Northwest" in the same release.
$9.1 million land deal
Atlas Agro and the Port of Benton entered a $9.1 million purchase and sale agreement on March 8 for a 150-acre site at Stevens Drive and Horn Rapids Road, near the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
The agreement does not guarantee the project will be built, but it signifies that both sides are optimistic it can succeed. Securing up to 350 megawatts of power will be key to turning the dream of providing carbon-free fertilizer to Northwest growers.
Atlas said it will rely on "new nuclear" energy during a Port of Benton commission meeting in March. This week, it expanded to say it pursuing an "all-of-the-above" strategy to consider existing and emerging renewable generation sources in the region.
"All-of-the-above" is a strategy to replace carbon-emitting power plants that burn coal and fossil fuels with ones that rely on renewable resources such as solar, wind, nuclear power, hydroelectric power and bio fuels.
Inslee's office referred questions about potential power sources to Atlas Agro. His communication's office affirmed Inslee's position on developing non-emitting power.
"All non-emitting generation sources need to be on the table for us to achieve our 100% clean energy goals, including nuclear. That said, nuclear has not yet proven to be cost competitive with renewable sources like wind and solar, and the industry still has work to do developing sustainable, viable solutions for nuclear waste," his communications office said.
Atlas Agro has told Richland city officials it needs up to 350 megawatts, or enough electricity to power the city some three times over. In a separate document, it said it needed 270 megawatts to 330 megawatts.
At the lower end, that's enough energy to power some 132,000 homes, more than are in the Tri-Cities combined.
The plant will employ about 160 and is expected to generate about 1,000 jobs in the community during the construction.
