Oregon utility Portland General Electric Co. is procuring 400 MW of battery storage capacity to help shore up grid resiliency in combination with new renewable energy projects.
PGE called its procurement of standalone battery storage the largest such deal by a utility outside of California. The 400 MW is enough stored electricity to power the entire city of Portland for an evening in the event of a disruption in the grid, according to the release.
The two projects include the 200-MW Seaside BESS, which is going to be owned and operated by PGE. Eolian developed the Seaside BESS project since 2017 and expects to begin service by 2025.
The other BESS is Troutdale, another 200-MW BESS which is going to be owned and operated by NextEra Energy Resources. Eolian also is the developer on Troutdale and plans for service to begin by the end of 2024.
“Battery storage is an important component of the clean energy economy. These new, Oregon-based projects are a significant addition to our wind, solar and hydro resources — providing grid reliability, resiliency and flexibility while helping us manage costs,” said Maria Pope, CEO and President at PGE. “At PGE, we are leading the way to a clean energy future reliably and affordably.”
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Both Seaside and Troutdale will have four-hour duration lithium ion batteries. The combined 400 MW is enough capacity to power about 260,000 home for four hours during peak demand such as evenings.
Portland General Electric and NextEra Energy Resources also are partnering on the massive Wheatridge Renewable Energy facility. Wheatridge, fully online as of September 2022 in Morrow County, Oregon, is comprised of a 300-MW wind farm, as well as a 50-MW solar farm and 30-MW battery storage facility.
(Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story contained an error and was corrected. The Wheatridge facility has been operational since September.)
