The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs are set to play a central role in one of Oregon's largest clean energy investments, after Portland General Electric (PGE) this week announced a build-transfer agreement for the Salmonfly solar-plus-storage project.
The project — a combined 199-megawatt solar array and 199-megawatt battery storage facility — carries an anticipated investment of approximately $850 million and will be developed in partnership with the Tribes. The announcement came as part of PGE's third-quarter 2026 earnings results, released Thursday.
A Key Location: Round Butte
The Salmonfly project's location is strategically significant. It will connect to an existing 230-kilovolt electrical substation at Round Butte — infrastructure controlled by the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. That existing grid connection allows the project to avoid building new interconnection facilities entirely, a major time and cost advantage in an era when grid interconnection queues can stretch years into the future.
BrightNight was identified as the project seller in an Oregon Public Utility Commission filing dated October 21, 2026. PGE will acquire the completed facility through the build-transfer agreement.
What It Means for Warm Springs
For the Warm Springs community, the Salmonfly project represents a significant step in energy self-determination. The Tribes have long been connected to energy production in the region — the Round Butte hydroelectric complex on the Deschutes River has been a focal point of tribal water rights and co-management efforts for decades. Utility-scale solar and storage development at the same location adds a new dimension to that legacy.
The Salmonfly agreement is part of a broader $1.75 billion, two-project announcement by PGE that also includes the Biglow Phase 2 wind expansion in the Columbia River Gorge. Together, the projects reflect the utility's strategy to meet growing electricity demand from data centers and vehicle electrification across the Pacific Northwest.
The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs had not yet released a formal public statement on the agreement as of press time. The Madras Bulletin will follow this story as construction timelines and community benefit details become available.
The Warm Springs Reservation spans more than 640,000 acres across Jefferson and Wasco counties and is home to approximately 4,000 enrolled tribal members, making Warm Springs the county's second-largest community and a major economic presence in Jefferson County.