The Spanish firm ACCIONA Energía has signed an agreement with Qcells, a subsidiary of the South Korean industrial group Hanwha Corporation, to acquire the battery energy storage system (BESS) project Cunningham, the largest of its kind in Texas, scheduled for commissioning in the first quarter of 2023. The deal also includes the acquisition of a portfolio of over 1GW/2GWh of BESS projects at and advanced state of development.
The 190MW/380MWh Cunningham facility will be the largest operating battery energy storage project on the Texas grid upon commissioning next year. The facility, located 55 miles from Dallas, consists of 159 cabinets of 2.4MWh blocks manufactured by Sungrow and liquid-cooled cells manufactured by CATL.
The standalone battery storage facilities in this portfolio will supply power and ancillary services to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), the independent system operator of most of the state. ERCOT manages the transmission, distribution and commercialization of electricity for approximately 90% of the state’s electric load, one of the most active markets in storage worldwide.
Battery energy storage systems (BESS) allow excess energy generated from clean, intermittent sources to be captured and released during demand peaks or system disturbances, allowing energy to be injected into the grid upon demand.
(Source: Acciona – Image: Construction of Cunningham battery energy storage facility)