Capstone and Eurowind plan eight-hour, 3.2 GWh battery storage project in California

Canadian independent power producer Capstone Infrastructure Corp. and Danish renewables developer Eurowind Energy have applied to the CEC to construct a 400 MW/3.2 GWh battery energy storage system (BESS) in Alameda County.

The Obra Maestra Renewables joint venture set up by the two companies in 2022 to develop projects in the United States, wants the grid-connected standalone BESS operating by June 2028.

Planning documents registered with state energy policy and planning authority California Energy Commission (CEC), indicate the applicant’s Levy Alameda unit wants to install “up to” 3.2 GWh of lithium-ion battery units, an operations and maintenance building, a substation, and a 500 kV overhead transmission line to the nearby Tesla substation owned by utility the Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E).

The 85-acre development site is in eastern Alameda County between the cities of Tracy and Livermore and southeast of Altamont.

Safety aspects addressed

With concern mounting in some Californian communities about the risk of battery fire, the fire safety plans submitted to the CEC indicate the battery containers will be modular and will feature lithium ferro-phosphate (LFP) batteries unless another equally fire-safe technology emerges before project construction begins. The planning document indicates each container will feature a fire safety system and may also contain a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning unit.

The applicant has opted in to the CEC planning process to expedite a decision and hopes to begin 18 months of construction work by Q1, 2026 with a further six months of commissioning and testing slated for completion by Q2, 2028.