Washington Business Summer 2018 | Washington Business | Page 24

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Connell, Prosser, Yakima, Ellensburg, Cle Elum and George. These will be the first level-three fast-chargers along those
routes, which can charge a vehicle in about 30 minutes.
Those are just a few of the advancements and projects we’re working on outside of managing the hydro facilities,
wind and the Columbia Generating Station. We’re always looking for future opportunities.
How does the economic footprint of Energy Northwest benefit the state and the region?
The Nuclear Energy Institute just did a study relative to nuclear power in this state and it has some facts on how Energy
Northwest supports the economy. The study found that Columbia Generating Station annually supports 3,930 jobs, which
includes 2,830 in Washington state. That goes above and beyond the 1,000 employees we have within Energy Northwest.
Every two years, when we have a refueling outage at the Columbia Generating Station, we’ll bring in upwards of 2,000
workers to help us out over that 35-day period. Many of those people come in from out of state and need lodging and eat
at restaurants, bringing money into the area. It also found that the facility contributes more than $690 million a year in
economic output, $475 million of that in Washington state alone. That helps support the region economically and also takes
into account all of Energy Northwest’s purchasing of goods and parts. We have a very broad and strong footprint when it
comes to supporting the local community and the region. The Energy Northwest team contributes their time as volunteers
and provides financial support to a wide variety of organizations that make our community a better place to live and work.
That involvement, that heart, grabbed my attention from the beginning.
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