CALIFORNIA - Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) has commissioned the 182.5MW battery energy storage system (BESS) at its Moss Landing electric substation in Monterey County.

Also called Elkhorn Battery, the BEES project features 256 Tesla Megapack battery units, and is capable of storing and dispatching up to 730MWh of energy to the electrical grid, reports NS Energy.

The lithium-ion battery storage project was approved by the California Public Utilities Commission in 2018, and by the Monterey County Planning Commission in 2020.

Earlier this month, California Independent System Operator (CAISO) has certified the project for market participation, following the final testing.

"We are ushering in a new era of electric system reliability and delivering a vision into the future for our customers with the commissioning of the Tesla Megapack system in Moss Landing," said PG&E Corporation CEO Patti Poppe.

PG&E owns and operates the Elkhorn Battery system project. It has designed, constructed, and maintains the battery storage project in partnership with automotive and clean energy company Tesla.

The battery energy storage project should only help integrate renewable energy sources, but also enhances the overall reliability of dynamic energy supply in California. Elkhorn Battery should enhance the reliability by addressing capacity shortages due to increased local energy demand, PG&E said in a press release.

Source: NS Energy