After a break for much of this year, we are excited to bring back the Port's quarterly newsletter. It has been a remarkably busy year in our Port District since I took on the role of Executive Director this past spring. While I can genuinely say I already feel at home, I am still enjoying the process of learning intricacies, collaborating with commissioners and staff, and connecting with community members and leaders. I am thankful to be part of such an incredible organization and look forward to sharing the often-enthralling news from our region, as there’s plenty of it. 

In this newsletter, you’ll learn more about our county-wide electrical power shortage and our take on what it means and how it’s going to get resolved. New in this edition, we’ve also incorporated a section called the “Commissioners' Corner.” Here we hope to keep you updated on more details behind the scenes at the Port. Additionally, our showcase story is about one of our tenants, Stoke Space, making remarkable progress (and history) on their innovative reusable rockets right out here at Grant County International Airport (GCIA). Our sincerest thanks to Stoke’s COO, Kelly Hennig, for her time in creating this story. We are also always delighted to spotlight the success stories of our port district businesses in our “News from around the region” below. The Port has played a crucial role in attracting many of these businesses to the area over the decades and it’s very rewarding to see companies like Sila, Group 14, OneD, Okanogan Fruit, REC, Simplot, and Twelve all at various stages of constructing facilities, finalizing contracts, and recruiting staff. Creating hundreds of jobs between them, join us in celebrating their achievements as they collectively weave an amazing narrative about our region.

Based out of Kent, WA, Stoke was founded by Andy Lapsa (CEO) and Tom Feldman (CTO), both formerly engineers at Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. Stoke’s two-stage Nova rocket is fully reusable. For the first stage, Stoke developed a full-flow staged combustion engine using methane as a fuel, which ensures high performance and is more environmentally friendly than traditional RP-1 fuels. The second stage design incorporates a robust heat shield that uses cryogenic hydrogen for high performance and efficient cooling. This allows for quicker refurbishment after flight for faster reuse. Hennig said, “Full reusability needs to include more than just the first stage. It has to be both the first and second stage, and you want to do it cleanly.”

At the Port now, it’s all about testing. Stoke is currently refining their engines through design iterations and testing cycles. Testing is a meticulous process involving isolated component evaluation to ensure each part works as designed before an entire engine is assessed. For residents near the Port of Moses Lake, that testing is sometimes audible. Hennig said, “We may make a lot of noise, and that noise is very normal in the development of rockets, and we are very safe and deliberate in how we do it. What people are hearing is a very experienced crew with excellent mission assurance and safety operations, performing routine rocket engine tests.”

You can’t have a conversation at a local coffee shop without someone commenting on the power shortage in Grant County, or the state and nation for that matter. While it’s today’s hot topic, frankly it’s been an issue that’s been brewing for years.

What happened?

Over the last several years, utility providers, governments, and power users did not anticipate the exponential growth of power needs throughout the country. Not just Grant County. Demand from electric vehicles, data centers and clean energy businesses has skyrocketed. At the same time, many governments have committed to 100% clean energy, mandating phase-outs of coal and natural gas. With an increase in demand and decrease in base power production, you can begin to see the challenge.

To appreciate the enormity of the problem here locally, consider this: The 2,100 megawatts of power generated by the Wanapum and Priest Rapids Dams, and managed by the Grant County Public Utility District (Grant PUD) is tapped out. To give some perspective, a single megawatt is capable of powering approximately 500 homes. To provide enough power for Grant County business customers currently waiting in line, an additional 3,000 megawatts is needed, or an over 100% capacity increase.

Power generation vs. power transmission

Producing new power is only part of the problem. Further complicating the matter is the lack of transmission lines that distribute power where it’s needed. Currently, there is hardly the capacity to distribute the power that we currently have, let alone any new power. Transmission lines are extremely expensive and very difficult to site due to government regulations, property rights, and politics. Overcoming those hurdles is a lengthy process, typically taking several years or more.

How serious is the problem?

In June of 2024, an internationally recognized manufacturing company was ready to invest $860 million into a facility in Quincy, WA. Keeping manufacturing in the USA and providing hundreds of family wage jobs seemed a no brainer. Surely there was a way to squeeze out a little more power, right? Wrong. They were told no. Our Governor was told no. Our State and Federally elected officials were also told no. The power availability simply wasn’t and isn’t there.

Is there a silver lining?

Yes, but it's going to take time. Growth is in jeoporday since Washington State and the Federal Government have allocated billions of dollars through tax breaks, incentives, and grants to spur data centers, electric vehicles, green technologies and new innovations. Meanwhile, power needs of existing and emerging users has become so urgent that it is at the top of the stack of pressing issues from Olympia to Washington D.C. It is also widely understood that if changes aren’t made that allow more power generation and necessary grid updates, the dream of a green technology revolution and growth will remain just a dream. Summation: The impetus is there.

The Port of Moses Lake has been committed to sustainable economic development and will continue partnering with stakeholders at the local, state, and federal level to find a balanced solution that is right for our region. With the collective wisdom of our citizens, businesses, and elected officials, the future remains both exciting and full of promise.