Acciona Energía has acquired the largest battery energy storage system (BESS) project in Texas.
On Tuesday, the Spain-based renewable energy operator announced its agreement with Qcells USA Corp., a subsidiary of the South Korean industrial group Hanwha Corporation, to purchase the 190-megawatt storage facility project known as Cunningham.
“This transaction is an important milestone, as it includes the biggest BESS utility-scale project in one of the world’s most developed BESS markets,” Mateo continued.
Construction on the Cunningham facility in Hunt County, about 55 miles northeast of Dallas, is scheduled for completion during the first quarter of 2023. The facility consists of 159 cabinets of 2.4 milliwatt-hour blocks manufactured by Sungrow and liquid-cooled cells manufactured by Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited (CATL).
The deal also includes six additional BESS projects. The portfolio, with more than 1 gigawatt of capacity, is in the advanced stages of development.
Financial details of the transaction have not been disclosed.
A battery energy storage system is an advanced technology that utilizes rechargeable batteries to store and distribute energy in the form of electricity. These systems are meant to help reinforce grid stability and improve energy security in extreme situations, such as Uri, the winter storm that debilitated the Texas power grid in February 2021.
Acciona said the Cunningham BESS facility would supply power and ancillary services to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) power grid. ERCOT is the independent system operator managing the flow of electric power to more than 26 million Texas customers, representing approximately 90 percent of the state’s electric load.
“Qcells is proud to provide our unique development and EPC solutions to Acciona Energía and bring this project to life, while also looking forward to furthering our collaboration as part of a long-term partnership,” said Jae Kyu Lee, president of Qcells USA.
“We are confident that these projects will benefit the entire energy sector in Texas by making clean, reliable energy more accessible for everyone,” Lee added.
Mateo said the company has 1,214 megawatts of renewable capacity operating and under construction in Texas.
La Chalupa, the company’s largest U.S. wind farm, is situated in Cameron County, Texas. La Chalupa produces more than 650 gigawatt hours per year.
Acciona also has four photovoltaic solar plants under construction, including Fort Bend Solar and Red-Tailed Hawk, both in Texas, High Point Solar in Illinois, and Union County Solar in Ohio.
