The battery storage project is expected to commence commercial operations by January 2022
Vistra Energy expands Oakland Battery energy storage facility. (Credit: Pixabay/Alexei Chizhov)
US-based energy company Vistra Energy is expanding its battery energy storage project which is located at the site of its Oakland Power Plant.
The capacity of the battery will be increased to 36.25MW /145MWh from the previously announced capacity of 20MW/80MWh.
A Community Choice Energy provider, East Bay Community Energy (EBCE) and Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) have provided necessary approvals for the project.
EBCE has provided its approval for an amended contract to receive the larger resource adequacy capacity from the project.
Additionally, PG&E has approved a new Local Area Reliability Service Agreement to ensure the grid reliability as part of the Oakland Clean Energy Initiative while it is anticipating approval from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC).
The battery storage system will partially replace aging 165MW jet fuel-fired facility
East Bay Community Energy CEO Nick Chaset said: “Adding an additional 16.25 MW of battery storage capacity in downtown Oakland is a win for EBCE, our customers, reliability of the electric grid, and local air quality.
“We’re pleased to participate in clean energy developments that help us meet our resource adequacy obligations while creating local benefits for the communities we serve.”
The battery storage project is expected to commence commercial operations by January 2022.
The system will partially replace the aging 165MW jet fuel-fired facility that is currently on a Reliability Must-Run contract with the California Independent System Operator (CAISO).
Furthermore, the energy company is planning to eventually retire the existing units at the Oakland Power facility and develop an additional energy storage projects on the site in the future.
In August last year, Vistra Energy announced its plans to retire four power plants in Illinois region, in line with the revised Multi-Pollutant Standard rule, by the Illinois Pollution Control Board (IPCB).