PGE buys 805 MW assets and unveils 615 MW solar/BESS hybrid pipeline (US)

The US power utility Portland General Electric (PGE) has announced an agreement to acquire select Washington state generation, transmission, and electric utility operations from PacifiCorp for USD1.9bn (PGE press release, 17/02/2026). 

Under the agreement, PGE will acquire three generation facilities: the 477 MW Chehalis natural-gas plant, the 94 MW Goodnoe Hills wind facility, and the 234 MW Marengo I and II wind parks. The acquisition also includes 4,500 miles (over 7,200 km) of transmission and distribution lines, and local utility operations. 

The company said that it will manage the Washington operations as a separate company through a newly formed subsidiary regulated by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission. PGE expects the state and federal regulatory reviews of the acquisition to close 12 months after submission of regulatory filings.

PGE has also signed agreements to build two hybrid solar and battery projects totalling 615 MW. Agreements for PGE-owned resources include:

• Biglow Optimization: 125 MW solar facility and 125 MW BESS located in Oregon. The USD540m project has an estimated commercial operation date at the end of 2027.
• Wheatridge Expansion: 240 MW solar facility and 125 MW BESS located in Oregon. PGE will own 110 MW of solar and 65 MW of BESS production capacity. NextEra Energy will operate the facility, own the remaining 130 MW of solar and 60 MW of BESS production capacity, and sell their portion of the output to PGE under a 30-year PPA. The project has an estimated commercial operation date at the end of 2027.

In addition, PGE has signed 20-year storage capacity agreements for two 200 MW BESS projects in Washington County, Oregon, namely Meadowlark (owned by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, operational at the end of 2027) and Nottingham (operational in 2028).