",[1][2] due to over-commitment to nuclear power in the 1970s which brought about financial collapse and the second largest municipal bond default in U.S.

The consortium's nuclear, hydro, wind, solar, and battery storage projects deliver nearly 1,400 megawatts of electricity to the Northwest power grid.

The public power movement gained prominence in the 1920s and 1930s under the leadership of the Washington State Grange, a non-partisan, grassroots advocacy group for rural citizens with both legislative programs and community activities.

The first generating source to be developed was the Packwood Lake Hydroelectric Project, located in Lewis County, Washington State approximately 20 miles south of Mount Rainier.

Senator Henry "Scoop" Jackson, the agency made a successful pitch to be the non-federal operator of the steam generator half of the project.

[2] Managing director Neil Strand resigned in February 1980, after being under fire for several months due to the cost overruns and construction delays at the five nuclear power plants.

[7][8] Seventeen months later in June 1983, the Washington State Supreme Court ruled the long-term take-or-pay contracts to buy the power produced by the project were illegal.

On January 19, 2010, Energy Northwest submitted an application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a 20-year license renewal of Columbia Generating Station.

[citation needed] Energy Northwest's latest development is the Horn Rapids Solar, Storage and Training project which went online in November 2020.

The project is a 4-megawatt direct current solar generating array of photovoltaic panels, owned and operated by Tucci Energy Services.