Grid infrastructure developer LS Power has unveiled the largest battery energy storage project in the world with its Gateway Energy Storage project. The 250 MW Gateway project, located in the East Otay Mesa community in San Diego County, California, is aimed at enhancing grid reliability and reduce customer energy costs. In doing so, Gateway will provide a valuable resource for energy consumers, utilities and other load servers across California. The company has put 230 MW in commercial operation and is expected to commission the remaining 20 MW capacity by end-August.
This capacity supersedes the previous record holder, which was the Tesla-operated Hornsdale Power Reserve in South Australia, that is capable of storing 150 MW/193.5 MWh.
The Gateway Energy Project was launched and connected to the grid by the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) in June, adding 62.5 MW of storage interconnection to the grid. With that capacity alone, the Gateway project was already the largest in the United States but was relatively small compared to the Hornsdale Power Reserve.
LS Power has several additional projects in development or construction in both California and New York, including Diablo Energy Storage in Pittsburg, California; LeConte Energy Storage in Calexico, California; and Ravenswood Energy Storage in Queens, New York.
REGlobal’s Views: There has been an increased focus on battery storage projects in California over the past two years. A wave of massive battery projects is under construction, many of which are designed to step in for the retiring gas and nuclear plants by shifting solar generation into the hours after sunset. This can be a massive contributor towards California’s mission to run its grid entirely on fossil fuel-free energy by 2045.
