Independent generator Middle River Power has selected FlexGen Power Systems to deliver 420 MW of battery energy storage systems to pair with and relieve natural gas-fired peaking plants across four sites in California.
The BESS systems will be located alongside and share interconnection facilities with the simple cycle gas-fired peakers. They will operate on FlexGen’s HybridOS energy management system platform.
“California has been a global leader in driving the clean energy transition, and this group of innovative projects is another important milestone towards providing the state with a reliable grid built on a foundation of clean energy,” said Kelcy Pegler, CEO of FlexGen. "Energy storage is critical to the future of the grid, and FlexGen has spent the last decade honing our capabilities to deliver critical energy storage assets to our partners."
January 2022: FlexGen supplying 10 Battery Storage systems to North Carolina Electric Co-ops
September 2022: FlexGen contracted to deliver BESS for CATL projects
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The systems will be used to store excess carbon-free power during the day and release it in the evening hours, making better use of renewable resources and providing ancillary services to the market. With the installation of the BESS sytems, the gas peaker plants will be used less frequently, leading to reduced greenhouse gas emissions, while remaining available to be used during extreme conditions.
“The energy storage assets store plentiful solar energy in the middle of the day then deploy that energy to the grid during evening peak hours, while maintaining our natural gas facilities as a flexible, reliable backstop,” said Mark Kubow, President of Middle River Power. “We are excited to introduce our first tranche of projects that takes such a meaningful step in helping California in the transition to more renewable resources.”
Based in Durham, North Carolina, FlexGen provides integration services and software technology for energy storage solutions in the U.S. and across the globe.
Middle River Power was established by private equity firm Avenue Capital in 2016 to operate, manage and develop the more than 3,000 MW that it has acquired and developed through its managed investment funds.
