Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), a California utility, has announced plans to build nine additional energy storage projects totaling 1,600 MW/6.4 GWh, including a 350 MW extension of the Moss Landing Energy Storage Facility. Between 2023 and 2026, the energy storage projects would become operational, coinciding with the planned retirements of gas plants in southern California and PG&E’s Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant.

PG&E must also comply with a 2021 California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) decision requiring the state’s electric utilities to acquire 11.5 GW of new resources collectively. The directive compels electric providers to start distributing power to customers in stages: at least 2,000 MW by August 1, 2023; 6,000 MW by June 1, 2024; 1,500 MW by June 1, 2025; and 2,000 MW by June 1, 2026. To replace the current supply of energy from Diablo Canyon when it retires in 2025, at least 2,500 MW of resources procured between 2023 and 2025 must be emission-free.

PG&E’s nine stand-alone storage projects would all use lithium-ion battery technology and have a four-hour storage capacity. The following projects have been proposed:

  • Beaumont ESS I (Terra-Gen) – 100-MW stand-alone, transmission-connected battery energy storage resource located in Beaumont, California (Riverside County) and scheduled to be online by August 2023.
  • Edwards Sanborn ESS I (Terra-Gen) – 169-MW stand‑alone, transmission-connected battery energy storage resource located in Mojave, California (Kern County) and scheduled to be online by August 2023.
  • Canyon Country ESS I (Terra-Gen) – 80-MW stand‑alone, transmission-connected battery energy storage resource located in Santa Clarita, California (Los Angeles County) and scheduled to be online by October 2023.
  • Moss Landing Energy Storage 3 (Vistra) – 350-MW stand-alone, transmission-connected battery energy storage resource located in Moss Landing, California (Monterey County) and scheduled to be online by August 2023.
  • Poblano Energy Storage (Strata Clean Energy) – 100-MW stand-alone, transmission-connected battery energy storage resource located in Rialto, California (San Bernardino County) and scheduled to be online by April 2024.
  • Corby Energy Storage (NextEra Energy) – 125-MW stand-alone, transmission-connected battery energy storage resource located in Vacaville, California (Solano County) and scheduled to be online by June 2024.
  • Koala Energy Storage (NextEra Energy) – 275-MW stand-alone, transmission-connected battery energy storage resource located in Tracy, California (Alameda County) and scheduled to be online by June 2024.
  • Nighthawk Energy Storage (Arevon Energy) – 300-MW stand-alone, transmission-connected battery energy storage resource located in Poway, California (San Diego County) and, pending required local approvals, is scheduled to be online by June 2024.
  • Caballero CA Storage (Origis USA) – 99.7-MW stand-alone, transmission-connected battery energy storage resource located in Nipomo, California (San Luis Obispo County) and scheduled to be online by June 2024.

REGlobal’s Views: Large energy storage reserves are becoming critically important in states that have high volumes of renewable energy like California. PG&E’s intention to build large storage capacity at different locations is in the right direction to make the future grids more secure.