US states tendering for 550 MW of energy storage

Utilities in two US states are preparing tenders for 550 MW of energy storage systems.

Michigan utility Detroit Ederson (DTE) Energy has announced an RfP for standalone energy storage projects with around 450 MW of capacity to support DTE’s CleanVision Integrated Resource Plan, in pursuit of Michigan’s new standard of 60% renewable energy by 2030.

As part of TVA’s plan to install 5.5 GW of electricity project capacity by 2029, the utility is seeking BESS developers to submit proposals for a 100 MW BESS at the electric company’s under-construction Kingston Energy Complex in Roane County, Tennessee.

The Michigan RfP requires grid-scale standalone energy storage projects to be in commercial operation in 2028. The projects must be in Michigan and will interconnect to the Midcontinent Independent System Operator.

Interested bidders can register company information on the PowerAdvocate website and can attend a virtual pre-RfP process on March 25. Bids are due June 27 and DTE said it expects to execute contracts before April 2026.

DTE owns and operates three energy storage facilities in the state: the Ludington Pumped Storage Plant, a hydroelectric, long-duration storage facility on the shores of Lake Michigan co-owned with Consumers Energy; and two batteries at solar energy sites.

DTE also operates a 14 MW lithium ion battery system in Trenton. In 2024, it began construction of its 220 MW Trenton Channel Energy Center, which is expected to be complete in 2026. The project is expected to be the largest standalone energy storage facility in the Great Lakes region and will stand on the grounds of a retired coal plant.

“With the growth of DTE’s renewable energy generation fleet, energy storage facilities are imperative to Michigan’s clean energy transformation,” said Chuck Conlen, vice president for clean energy and acquisitions at DTE Energy.

By 2042, DTE plans to have 2.95 GW of energy storage project capacity in its portfolio, more than double today’s total.

Tennessee

Tennessee utility TVA is accepting proposals from qualified integrators and providers to design, engineer, build, operate, and maintain a 100 MW BESS that must be in commercial operation by 2029 as part of the Kingston Energy Complex. The power site will also feature 750 MW of conventional, combined cycle natural gas plants; 800 MW of aerospace industry-inspired, gas fired flex-fuel aeroderivative turbines; and up to 4 MW of solar. TVA said that will be enough generation to power around 900,000 homes.

BESS developers pre-register for the tender at tva.com/KingstonBESSRFP. TVA said it will issue tender details in late March or early April, including the bid due date. Developers can download a site rendering of the Kingston Energy Complex using the password KingstonBESS.

The BESS project is part of TVA’s strategy to use domestic energy to power the region’s growth, which TVA reports has grown faster than the United States overall.

TVA is a federally owned electric utility with a service area that delivers energy to more than 10 million people in Tennessee, portions of Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, and small areas of Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia.

In addition to Kingston, construction is underway at Shawnee, in Kentucky; and Cumberland and Johnsonville, both in Tennessee. TVA has completed 1.4 GW of new gas units at Paradise, in Kentucky, and at Colbert, Alabama. Construction will begin soon at New Caledonia, in Mississippi, and other new generation projects are under consideration in Tennessee.

From pv magazine USA.