Near Arlington, Oregon, a 29,950-acre proposal combines 500 MW each of wind and solar with 4,000-MWh battery storage
The Columbia River plateau desert of Eastern Washington lying above the Columbia River basin is an expansive area that is mostly windy, where rangeland stretches to the horizon beyond the small city of Arlington, Oregon, which has only 500 people living there. It would be hard for most Americans to locate it on a map.
But it has drawn attention of energy experts and planners. An application is under consideration by the state regulators that proposes installing two kinds of renewable energy generation devices, along with a battery system large enough to overturn the assumptions about power grid reliability in the Pacific Northwest region.
Remote Oregon plateau at heart of green energy gamble
Arlington lies within the rain shadow of the Columbia River Basin – an area defined by high desert, created by the forces of wind, volcanic basalt, and hundreds of years of ranching and wheat farming. Arlington has some of the most consistent winds in the Pacific Northwest, as well as high-intensity summer solar radiation that few coastal areas can equal. The combination of natural features and existing power line routes in the area makes it increasingly attractive for renewable energy development.
A developer filed a Notice of Intent with the Oregon Department of Energy on August 4, 2026, to pursue a site certificate for the Big River Renewable Energy Project.
For perspective on the size of 29,950 acres, the urban land use in all of Portland occupies about 90,000 acres. This project alone would take up one-third of that space. This is no small project, but an extensive alteration of agricultural land visible from miles away.
The Big River Renewable Energy Project proposal
A developer filed a Notice of Intent with the Oregon Department of Energy on August 4, 2026, to pursue a site certificate for the Big River Renewable Energy Project. The Notice of Intent is the initial formal step in Oregon’s process of siting a facility and is not an approval in any way.
There are four components to this proposal. A 500 MW wind turbine portion will place turbines on the plateau. Another 500 MW solar generation portion will overlay photovoltaic generation on the same footprint — co-location allowing wind and solar generation to share land and other infrastructure. Both will be supported by a 4,000 MWh battery energy storage system, able to store excess generation and dispatch it to the grid during peak times. Public comments can be submitted between August 7, 2026, and September 25, 2026, according to the Oregon Department of Energy – Big River.
Why co-location of wind, solar, and storage is significant
Wind energy and solar energy have often been referred to as intermittent forms of energy, but the generation patterns for these two in the Columbia Basin region are complementary. While wind blows the hardest at night and during the winter period, solar energy peaks at midday during the summer period. By combining both wind and solar energy together, the generation pattern becomes less intermittent.
The addition of a 4,000 MWh battery system makes the entire process even better, as the battery takes care of the surplus generated during peak generation periods. The surplus energy is then used during the evening peak consumption times and when there are periods of cloudy weather without any wind blowing. The total 1,000 MW generating capacity will be enough to power hundreds of thousands of Pacific Northwest households. Grid operators have increasingly favored co-located hybrid projects because they reduce transmission congestion by delivering more usable power through a single interconnection point, improving overall capacity factors.
Process review and role of the public in Oregon
In Oregon, large energy projects need to get a Site Certificate from the Department of Energy before they can start construction. This process is purposely designed as such. The NOI phase, where Big River finds itself now, sets off environmental scoping, interagency coordination, and public participation. Submitting an NOI does not mean getting approval to build.
An informational public hearing was held on August 20, 2026, and was available online and offline. The deadline for comments is set for September 25, 2026. Comments usually revolve around land use compatibility, effects on wildlife and habitats, landscape visual quality, water resources, and transmission corridor issues, given the size of the project.
The future of Big River — and the energy situation in Oregon
Once the comment period for the NOI is over, the developer will be required to file an application for site cacertificate. This application should respond to any issues identified during the public comment period and must meet all requirements of the Oregon Siting Standards.
The project’s trajectory matters well beyond Arlington. Oregon has set ambitious clean energy targets, and the Pacific Northwest grid increasingly needs firm, dispatchable renewable power to replace retiring fossil fuel generation. A hybrid facility of this scale — if approved — would demonstrate that large co-located projects are viable in the American West, potentially accelerating similar proposals elsewhere. If it meets significant opposition or regulatory obstacles, that outcome would be equally instructive. For now, the project’s future remains genuinely open, shaped by the technical record, agency review, and the voices of people who live and work on that high desert plateau.
Kelly is an experienced writer with 15 years of experience exploring the big stories that shape our world, from tech breakthroughs and space exploration to climate, energy, and the fascinating quirks of science. She has a talent for turning complex ideas into sharp, memorable insights that stay with readers long after they’ve finished reading.
