Vistra Energy announces next phase of battery storage systems
Vistra Energy announced that, subject to approval by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), NS Energy reports. It will expand the size of the battery energy storage systems at its Moss Landing Power Plant site in California. The company has entered into a 10-year resource adequacy agreement with Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) for a new 100-megawatt/ 400-megawatt-hour battery that will complement the 300-MW/1,200-MWh battery already under construction. On Monday, May 18, PG&E filed its application for approval of the contract with the CPUC, with a decision expected within 120 days.
PR Newswire explains that this announcement brings Vistra’s total to 436.25 MW/1,745 MWh of battery energy storage under contract in California:
Moss Landing – Phase I (300 MW/1,200 MWh)
Moss Landing – Phase II (100 MW/400 MWh)
Oakland (36.25 MW/ 145 MWh)
Vistra is a market leader in utility-scale battery development: in addition to its projects in California, the company’s 10 MW/42 MWh Upton 2 battery storage facility was commissioned in December 2018 and is the largest solar energy storage system in Texas. When the Moss Landing battery is commissioned, it will be the largest battery of its kind in the world.
Battery storage is growing
S&P Global Platts Analytics predicts that more than 10 GW of battery storage projects will come online by 2024 in the U.S., with strong markets in California, New York, Texas and Nevada.
Morris Greenberg, senior director of North American energy analysis, says battery storage will play a major role in meeting resource needs as gas capacity recedes
“Our Moss Landing site offers a unique opportunity for large-scale battery development with its existing infrastructure and the physical space for even greater potential growth,” Curt Morgan, Vistra’s CEO, said in the statement. “Utilizing our existing power plant sites allows us to cost-competitively develop battery storage and renewable energy assets as we shift our power generation portfolio to carbon-free technologies.”
