Salt River Project (SRP) and NextEra Energy Resources, LLC have officially commissioned a 100-megawatt (MW) battery energy storage system to store the energy produced by the operating Saint Solar Energy Center in Coolidge in Pinal County. The Saint Solar facility has been serving SRP commercial customers since the end of 2020 and is one of nine SRP-contracted solar resources delivering more than 650 MW of clean energy to SRP customers. The new battery energy storage system can store enough of the solar facility’s clean energy to provide power to more than 22,500 average-sized homes for four hours.
“As part of our Integrated System Plan for 2035, SRP is building a better Arizona with innovative ways to give our customers reliable, affordable and sustainable power and water,” said Bobby Olsen, chief planning, strategy and sustainability executive at SRP. "This solar-charged battery is a perfect example. It adds to SRP's diverse portfolio of storage technologies, which are among the most expansive and innovative in the west, while ensuring we get the most value from our clean energy investments."
The Saint Solar facility and the connected battery energy storage system are operated by subsidiaries of NextEra Energy Resources. Solar energy from the site is delivered to 11 SRP commercial customers to help meet their renewable energy goals, and the addition of battery energy storage benefits all SRP energy customers. This new storage will be in addition to SRP’s existing large investment in storage resources, including more than 1,100 MW of battery projects to be online by the end of 2024.
“We are pleased to work with SRP to bring a new battery energy storage center online," said Anthony Pedroni, vice president of renewable development and mergers and acquisitions at NextEra Energy Resources, the world’s largest generator of renewable energy from the wind and sun, as well as a world leader in battery energy storage. "This project will provide essential reliability when it is needed most, while providing millions of dollars in additional tax revenue to the City of Coolidge over the life of the project."
SRP has contracted with NextEra Energy Resources for additional Arizona-based solar and battery energy storage projects. These include the Sonoran Energy Center, an approximately 260-MW solar facility with the ability to charge a 1 gigawatt-hour battery energy storage system. Located south of Buckeye, Sonoran Energy Center will be the largest operational battery project in the state. Additionally, SRP has contracted for the output of Storey Energy Center, an 88-MW solar and battery energy storage system operating in Coolidge.
SRP expects a 25% increase in energy demand by 2030. To meet this demand, SRP’s future power system will balance adding significantly more renewables and energy storage resources with flexible natural gas to avoid compromising affordability and reliability. This aligns with SRP’s recently announced Integrated System Plan, which incorporated community and customer perspectives to develop a reliable, affordable and sustainable plan to meet growing demand.
In addition to the battery storage SRP will have in operation in 2024, SRP is prepared to add 1,500 MW of new battery resources and 1,000 MW of long-duration energy storage capacity from pumped hydro by 2035. SRP also plans to add 7,000 MW of new renewable resources, which includes 6,000 MW of new, large-scale solar resources by 2035. This is enough solar energy to power more than 1.3 million average-sized homes and will triple SRP’s current extensive portfolio of solar resources scheduled to come online by the end of 2025.
