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The Pacific Northwest will need to add a tremendous amount of new power over the next six years to keep the lights on for all of its residents, according to a new federal draft report.

Why it matters: Population growth, data centers and electrification are expected to send the region’s electricity demand soaring.

Driving the news: The Northwest Power and Conservation Council, which plans for the region's energy needs across Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana, released its draft Ninth Power Plan this month.

By the numbers: To keep up with demand, the Pacific Northwest will need an additional 11 gigawatts of new generating capacity by 2032 — roughly as much annual power-generating capacity as Oregon has today.

• Most of that — 9.2 gigawatts — will come from renewables like wind and solar, while 2.1 gigawatts will need to come from natural gas power plants.
• The region will also need to add 5 gigawatts of storage capacity.

Plus: It will need to cut demand by about one gigawatt through energy efficiency, per the report.

For reference, one gigawatt is enough to power up to 750,000 homes simultaneously under normal conditions.

Reality check: It took the region a decade to add the last 10 gigawatts of power, per OPB.

• Oregon and Washington also have some of the slowest rates of clean energy adoption in the country, per ProPublica.
• And that was before the Trump administration pulled back tax breaks and other forms of support for renewable energy projects.

Zoom out: The challenge only grows from here.

• Power demand is expected to potentially double over the next 20 years.

Follow the money: Meeting that demand will require more than $2 billion in investment from renewable energy developers and utilities.

• It's a tall ask given power bills have already risen considerably since 2021.

What’s next: The report is still just a draft and the public will have multiple chances to weigh in before it’s finalized, either online or at a series of public meetings.

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Teenage boys testing their families' patience is apparently a cross-species phenomenon.

What's happening: Kitoko, an adolescent gorilla born in Seattle six years ago, is getting hormonal — which means it's almost time for him to leave his childhood home.

Driving the news: The western lowland gorilla, born at Woodland Park Zoo in March 2020, is entering the stage when young males naturally begin separating from their birth families, curator of mammalogy Martin Ramirez tells Axios.

• That means it's time for Kitoko to join a bachelor group at another accredited zoo, said Ramirez.
• His last day on view at Woodland Park Zoo is Aug. 31.

The latest: Kitoko has always been adventurous, energetic and playful, said Arden Robert, the zoo's animal care manager for primates, but lately he's been getting rowdier and pushing his weight around, especially with the group's females.

• As young males mature, the group's silverback — in this case, Kitoko's father, Kwame — may begin viewing them as potential competition and, in the wild, eventually drive them from the family group.
• Once a young male is no longer nursing or dependent, Ramirez said, "even the mom is like, 'You know, I'm kind of done with you.'"

The big picture: There's an evolutionary reason for the eviction: Sending young males away helps prevent them from mating with close relatives.

• They may join bachelor groups, where they learn social skills that can eventually help them become silverbacks leading families of their own.

What's next: Six years after baby Kitoko gave a locked-down Seattle something to smile about, he's ready to find his own troop.

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📱 The Seattle area kept its No. 2 spot on the annual tech talent scorecard from commercial real estate firm CBRE, trailing only the Bay Area. The ranking is for 2025 and doesn't include this year's tech layoffs. (GeekWire)

🗞️ Seattle Times sports columnist Matt Calkins resigned last week after he said the paper refused to publish a column he wrote about transgender athletes in women's sports.

• The newspaper has declined to comment on Calkins' resignation, saying it "does not comment on personnel matters." (New York Times)

⚡️ Two separate power outages affected more than 12,000 Seattle residents over the weekend, while also delaying Sound Transit light rail trains. Both incidents stemmed from damaged utility poles. (KING 5)

Two bars and a coffee shop are coming to the historic Fremont building where Theo Chocolate operated for nearly two decades.

What to expect: The owners of Here Today Brewery & Kitchen plan to open three new concepts in the red brick building, the Puget Sound Business Journal reports.

• Good Bones Coffee will pay homage to Seattle's "many contributions to the coffee world," Here Today said on Instagram.
• Glitter Paw Lounge will be "a tap room and bar serving cheeky and approachable cocktails and snacks."
• On the upper floor will be Marigolds, a "pint-sized cocktail and oyster den."

Context: The 121-year-old building stored dozens of city streetcars before Seattle retired its trolley system in 1941, per the Business Journal.

• It was later home to Redhook Brewery's production facility and its Trolleyman Pub.
• Theo Chocolate moved there in 2006, before closing its factory in 2023 and its retail storefront last year.

What's next: The three new businesses from Here Today are slated to open this fall.

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Why it matters: Your readership helps make local journalism part of the daily conversation, and a membership is another way to show your support.

🫶 Become a member today. You'll help us continue delivering clear, trustworthy reporting focused on the place you call home.

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Clarridge and Melissa were in tour-giving mode on Friday, showing our colleague Meira of Axios Portland some of what makes Seattle so great.

After having lunch in Pioneer Square, we took her to get boba in the Chinatown-International District. Then we wandered the waterfront.

• A truly perfect afternoon!

🌊 Melissa is trying to squeeze in some final summer memories with her kids before school starts. (Water will likely be involved.)

⛴️ Clarridge is riding the ferry.

This newsletter was edited by Geoff Ziezulewicz.