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AES breaks ground on 400 MWh energy storage project in Southern California

Published by , Digital Editorial Assistant
Energy Global,


AES Alamitos, a subsidiary of The AES Corporation, has announced the groundbreaking of a 400 megawatt-hour (MWh) battery-based energy storage system for Alamitos Energy Center (AEC) as part of a larger modernization and replacement project of the existing AES Alamitos Generating Station.

The energy storage facility in Long Beach will provide up to 400 MWh of local energy to ensure power flexibility and reliability for Southern California Edison (SCE) customers, while helping the state meet its target of 100% clean energy by 2045.

While the AES Alamitos facility was procured specifically to provide power at times of peak demand, it will also support grid modernisation, increase the integration of renewable energy, and lower costs and greenhouse gas emissions. Supplied by Fluence, an energy storage and technology services provider, the storage used for the project will include the company’s Advancion 5 batteries and control systems; when fully charged, the batteries will be able to supply power to tens of thousands of homes in milliseconds.

“California’s goals for a cleaner, more sustainable energy future are fundamentally changing the use and design of the electric grid,” said Ken Zagzebski, President of AES Southland. “We’re constructing a state-of-the-art energy storage system with Fluence that will help the state integrate more renewable power, employ the highest efficiency technology and focus on energy performance for SCE and its customers.”

“Alamitos energy storage will stand as the first of a new generation of energy storage procured as stand-alone alternatives to new gas plants. It represents a whole new way to think about capacity and reliability,” said John Zahurancik, Chief Operating Officer for Fluence. “Its size, flexibility and long duration stand as a benchmark, and showcase energy storage as a mainstream option for peaking power and grid support. Energy storage market growth and innovation can only accelerate from here, and we will continue to partner with industry leaders like AES and Southern California Edison as together we transform the way we power our world.”

AES Southland was awarded a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) by SCE in 2014 to provide 100 MW of interconnected energy storage. It is part of a US$2 billion repowering initiative in Long Beach to replace aging natural gas peakers with a combination of efficient combined-cycle gas capacity and battery energy storage, which is now a viable alternative to replace traditional thermal generation to meet peak power demands.

Together with the AES AEC combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT), this project will result in more than US$132 million in local purchases, 1.48 million hours in construction-related work, and a payroll of over US$315 million. At completion – projected for late 2020 - the new AEC will not only be cleaner and more responsive to California’s energy needs, but it will also contribute between US$12.3 and US$14.6 million annually to the local economy.

“Energy storage is our most flexible resource. It can charge or discharge virtually instantaneously and helps us to maximize our use of renewable energy on the grid,” said Colin Cushnie, Vice President Power Supply for Southern California Edison. “Projects such as this signal a new direction for how we can meet our customers’ need for reliable energy with a clean mix of resources.”

Read the article online at: https://www.energyglobal.com/energy-storage/01072019/aes-breaks-ground-on-400-mwh-energy-storage-project-in-southern-california/

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