China Energy Storage Network: According to foreign media reports, renewable energy developer and independent power operator NextEra Energy Resources (NEER) has proposed to deploy an independent battery energy storage system with an installed capacity of up to 3GW on 260 acres of land in Fresno County, California.

The Manatee battery energy storage system operated by Florida Power & Light (FPL) in Florida.

The Fresno County Department of Public Works and Planning has prepared a final environmental impact report (EIR) under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) that outlines the key potential impacts of the energy storage project.

The final environmental impact report (EIR) is the last step in the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) permitting process, which includes the issuance of a preliminary report (i.e., draft EIR) and related comments on the draft report from key stakeholders and other interested parties.

Fresno County officials will use the environmental impact report (EIR) submitted on June 28, 2024, to decide whether to approve or deny a non-confidential conditional use permit (CUP) to seek to construct, operate, maintain and decommission the proposed project.

3GW of energy storage system to be deployed in phases

The key energy storage project proposed by Florida-based NEER will be located approximately 11.5 miles east of Coalinga in Fresno County, California, just south of West Jayne Avenue.

NEER is considering two different technical approaches: using lithium-ion batteries or a hybrid of lithium-ion and iron flow batteries. If the decision is made to build the battery energy storage system with lithium-ion batteries, the project will be carried out in four different phases, while only three phases will be required if the two-battery hybrid deployment method is adopted.

Either way, the deployment of the first phase of the project is expected to begin this year, and NEER expects to break ground on the second phase in 2025. Construction of phases 3 and 4 will begin one to three years after the second phase is connected to the grid, but this depends on the demand for energy storage systems in the area.

Each phase of deployment is expected to take about 14 to 24 months to complete, and the project is expected to be online and operational in 2032.

300MW of Battery Storage Capacity Interconnection Agreement

NEER hopes to connect the project to the grid operated by grid operator CAISO via Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E)’s 500kV substation.

NEER has signed a Key Energy Storage Agreement with Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) and CAISO to procure 300MW of battery storage capacity.

NEER is one of the largest independent power producers in North America and a wholly owned subsidiary of Fortune 200 company NextEra Energy.

NEER claims to have 34GW of battery storage systems connected to the grid across North America by June 2024. The company also has one of the largest battery storage portfolios in the U.S., including a 1GWh battery storage system commissioned in Arizona earlier this year.

The Key Energy Storage project is one of several renewable energy generation facilities NEER is developing in California, which also includes the Crossroads project in Shasta County.

According to the information released on the NEER website, the Crossroads energy storage project is expected to have an installed capacity of 300MW and is scheduled to be online in December 2027.

NextEra Energy to achieve net zero emissions by 2045

In June 2022, NextEra Energy announced that it would achieve its goal of zero net carbon emissions by 2045.

Florida Power & Light (FPL) is a subsidiary of NextEra Energy and the largest utility in Florida, providing electricity services to 11 million people in the state.

Florida Power & Light (FPL) owns and operates the 409MW/900MWh Manatee energy storage system in Parrish, Florida, which was put into operation in December 2021 and was one of the largest solar + energy storage projects in the world at the time.

[Editor: Gao Qian]