California utility Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) announced it has planned to site nine new energy storage projects totaling 1,600 MW (6,400 MWh), including the 350-MW expansion of Moss Landing Energy Storage Facility. If approved by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), these nine projects would bring PG&E’s total battery energy storage system capacity to more than 3,330 MW by 2024.
“As we work year-round to strengthen our electric system, we are also planning, engineering and building the grid for a future that harnesses the power of solar plus storage on an unprecedented scale. We are committed to safely delivering reliable and clean energy in a way that achieves the greatest value for our customers. And we know we can’t go it alone. We welcome continued partnerships with the best and the brightest to make California’s clean energy future a reality,” said Joe Bentley, Senior Vice President, Electric Engineering, PG&E.
The nine project agreements are the result of a competitive request for offers (RFO) PG&E launched to procure energy resources ordered by the CPUC’s June 2021 decision directing all load serving entities (LSEs) in California — including California’s investor-owned utilities, such as PG&E — to collectively procure 11.5 GW of new electricity resources.
The energy would come online between 2023 and 2026 to support California’s greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction policy, and to replace electricity generation from the expected retirements of Southern California natural gas plants and PG&E’s Diablo Canyon Power Plant (DCPP).
In total, PG&E is responsible for purchasing at least 2,302 MW to be delivering energy to the grid between 2023 and 2026. PG&E will issue another (phase two) competitive solicitation later this year for resources to be delivering energy by June 1, 2025 and June 1, 2026.
The nine projects announced today and listed below all feature lithium-ion battery energy storage technology, each with a four-hour discharge duration. PG&E has executed 15-year Resource Adequacy agreements for each of the following projects:
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.