In 2023, Puget Sound Energy (PSE) installed a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) approximately 20 feet from our property on Samish Island in Skagit County, Washington. We were never directly notified prior to installation and were not informed of potential sound impacts, operational characteristics, or site-specific safety considerations.

After the facility became operational, the BESS HVAC system generated repetitive mechanical noise that carried across much of our 3.72-acre property. Acoustic testing later documented noise exceedances at our property boundary, and a county code enforcement case remains open. Despite acoustic studies, engineering reviews, mitigation efforts, and ongoing discussions, the issue remains unresolved.

What began as a noise concern led us to review project records, permitting documents, emergency planning materials, and safety information associated with the facility. Through that process, we learned that battery energy storage systems involve considerations beyond those typically associated with ordinary utility infrastructure, including fire suppression systems, gas detection equipment, emergency shutdown procedures, evacuation planning, re-ignition monitoring, and firewater runoff management.

The facility's proximity to our property also raised broader questions about project siting, environmental review, and emergency response planning. We sought to understand how siting decisions were made, whether environmental review requirements had been adequately considered, and how emergency planning addressed nearby properties and environmentally sensitive areas. We were particularly interested in how fire suppression water and potential runoff would be managed during a significant battery fire, given the presence of a Category III wetland and associated buffer on our property.

As a result, we postponed plans to build a home on the property and experienced a significant loss of use and enjoyment of the land we purchased in 2019. While legal action remains an option, prolonged litigation against a large utility or government agency can be financially prohibitive for ordinary property owners.

This website documents the history of the project, the impacts that followed, and the responses of both PSE and Skagit County. It also highlights lessons that may help inform future battery energy storage siting, permitting, environmental review, community notification, and compatibility standards for projects located near neighboring properties.