GE will provide Coachella Energy Storage Partners (CESP) with a 30 MW battery energy storage system as part of the storage company's supply contract with the Imperial Irrigation District (IID).
According to GE, the plant will be located in California's Imperial Valley, approximately 100 miles east of San Diego. The facility will aid grid flexibility and increase reliability on the IID network by providing solar ramping, frequency regulation, power balancing and black-start capability for an adjacent gas turbine. It also marks GE's largest battery energy storage deal to date.
GE will provide Mark VI plant controls, GE Brilliance MW inverters, GE Prolec transformers, medium-voltage switchgear and advanced lithium-ion batteries housed in a purpose-built enclosure. GE anticipates project construction will begin early next year, with commercial operation scheduled for the third quarter of 2016.
The plant will be operated by ZGlobal, an engineering collaborator with CESP, for the first 18 months, after which control will transfer to the IID.
This is GE's third project using lithium-ion battery technology since expanding its portfolio in recent months. Earlier, GE inked agreements with Con Edison Development in California and Convergent Energy + Power in Ontario.
