Renewable Energy Commitment for City Operations Extended to 20 Years
Published on January 15, 2021
Media Contact:
Joy Johnston
Interim Communications Program Manager
jjohnston@kirklandwa.gov
425-979-6562
KIRKLAND, Wash. – As of January 7, 2021, the City of Kirkland has entered into an agreement to participate in Puget Sound Energy’s Green Direct Program for the next twenty years, doubling the timeframe of the City’s original agreement approved by the City Council in May 2017. The Green Direct Program is a groundbreaking initiative designed to provide PSE corporate and governmental customers the ability to purchase 100 percent of their energy from a dedicated, local, renewable energy resource while providing a stable, cost efficient solution.
This means that all facilities owned by the City of Kirkland such as buildings, lift stations, and park facilities are now powered by clean, renewable energy not derived from fossil fuels. Extending the agreement from ten years to twenty years accomplishes early action on a key goal of the City’s Sustainability Master Plan that was adopted in December 2020.
“Sustainability is an important value for Kirkland. We have set a goal of ensuring that the community’s purchased energy is 100 percent carbon-free by 2030, and we are leading the way by sourcing renewable electricity for City operations,” said Kirkland Deputy Mayor Jay Arnold. “Extending Kirkland’s commitment to the Green Direct Program provides the leadership and stability that PSE needs in order to invest in infrastructure that supports renewable energy.”
Last month, PSE announced that its Green Direct customers, including the City of Kirkland, are now receiving renewable energy from the Skookumchuck Wind Facility. The Skookumchuck Wind Facility is located on Weyerhaeuser timber land, in Lewis and Thurston counties and is the largest wind project in Western Washington. Kirkland’s extended participation in the Green Direct Program not only makes it possible for more wind and solar facilities to be built sooner, it helps build capacity so that PSE can fulfill the terms of the Clean Energy Transformation Act that was signed by Governor Jay Inslee in 2019.
“The Clean Energy Transformation Act requires that utilities provide electricity that is 100 percent from clean, renewable sources by 2045,” said David Barnes, senior planner for the City of Kirkland and project manager of the Sustainability Master Plan. “The City’s 20-year commitment to the Green Direct Program supports PSE’s progress toward meeting that requirement as well as Kirkland’s goal of carbon-free energy by 2030. It’s exciting to make progress on a key goal of the Sustainability Master Plan less than a month after the plan was adopted.”
To learn more about the City’s Sustainability Master Plan and things you can do to help implement it, go to www.kirklandwa.gov/sustainabilityplan. Information about PSE’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions can be found at www.pse.com/TOGETHER.
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