Enel switches on a 104 MW battery at solar-plus-storage site in Texas

Enel North America has begun commercial operations at its so-called ‘Estonian’ solar-plus-storage facility in Delta County, Texas. The hybrid project combines a 202 MW solar photovoltaic installation with a 104 MW BESS.

The project is backed by power purchase agreements with two major commercial customers: BXP Inc. (formerly Boston Properties), a real estate trust and developer of workplaces, which will take 21 MW of the project’s capacity, and Capri Holdings Limited, parent company of fashion brands including Versace. The PPA was first announced during construction in mid-2023.

The Estonian facility adds to Enel’s Texas portfolio, where the company now operates around 5 GW of wind and solar capacity alongside 1.3 GW of battery storage.

The facility represents the latest addition to Enel North America’s 11 GW renewable energy portfolio across the U.S. and Canada. The Italian headquarted company’s North American arm has secured over 100 PPAs to date, representing more than 7.3 GW of contracted capacity. Local communities are expected to receive over $23 million in tax revenue from the project over its lifetime.

Enel also manages around 200 MW of demand response capacity in the state and said in the accompanying press release that it “plans to continue to add new demand response capacity in the US and Canada, contributing to greater grid flexibility and reliability.”

Comments:

Stephen Pike, Head of Enel Green Power North America: “With this new project, Enel continues to deliver new clean power and flexible storage to meet rising demand. Enel’s renewable energy projects create real value for commercial and industrial companies on their journey to decarbonization.”

Ben Myers, SVP, Sustainability, BXP: “The Estonian commercial operation milestone marks a significant moment in BXP’s renewable energy journey. Through our partnership with Enel, we are supporting the acceleration of the energy transition by adding additional, large-scale clean power capacity.”