Centralia Coal Transition Board awards grant to support log truck electrification
Centralia, (September 8, 2025) The Centralia Coal Transition Grants Energy Technology Board is pleased to announce it has approved a grant award to Northwest Natural Resource Group in the amount of $18,776.00 to support an electric log-truck feasibility study.
The assessment will evaluate the battery recharge potential based on a segmented analysis of haul routes by pitch, distance and driving surface; identify and evaluate possible charging locations; determine a feasible work cycle and coordination efforts to determine the specifications for a practical battery-powered log hauling combination. The findings will serve as the foundation for a proposal to an electric truck manufacturer to provide the use of a log truck for an actual pilot project testing.
The feasibility work will be underway beginning in September 2025 with a proof-of-concept demonstration in Q1 2026.
Northwest Natural Resource Group began in 1992 as a community-based non-profit organization striving for economic and environmental vitality on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. Their mission is to strengthen the ecological and economic vitality of Northwest forests and communities with a focus on working with private landowners, smaller forest product companies, municipal agencies, Indian tribes, land trust, youth camps, and other non-profit organizations.
The Energy Technology Board was formed as a result of the 2011 Agreement between TransAlta and the state of Washington. This agreement allowed for the Centralia plant to move away from coal-fired operations with one unit retiring in December 2020 and the second unit in December 2025. TransAlta is investing $55 million into Lewis and South Thurston counties and the state of Washington through the Coal Transition Boards.
About Centralia Coal Transition Funding Boards
Overview of the Centralia Coal Transition Funding Boards:
Weatherization Board ($10M): established to fund energy efficiency and weatherization for the residents, employees, business, non-profit organizations and local governments within Lewis County and South Thurston County; up to $1 million shall be allocated to fund residential energy efficiency and weatherization measures for low-income and moderate-income residents of Lewis County and South Thurston County;
Economic & Community Development Board ($20M): established to fund education, retraining, economic development, and community enhancement; at least $5M shall be allocated to fund education, retraining and economic development specifically targeting the needs of workers displaced from the Centralia facility;
Energy Technology Board ($25M): established to fund energy technologies with the potential to create environmental benefits to the state of Washington.