GE signs 30 MW battery storage deal with CESP

The 30 MW energy storage system will be located in California’s Imperial Valley, with construction slated to begin early next year. It should be operational by Q3 2016. The financial details were not disclosed.
GE will provide CESP with an integrated storage solution, which includes its Mark VI plant controls, Brilliance MW inverters, Prolec transformers, medium-voltage switchgear and lithium ion batteries. ZGlobal will operate the plant for the first 18 months, after which IID will assume control.
“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,” said GE in a statement released.
The deal is said to represent GE’s biggest battery energy storage project to date.
“This project is a game changer to the energy industry and will be one of the largest battery storage plants in the western United States,” stated Ziad Alaywan, president & CEO of ZGlobal Inc.
Mike Abatti, president of CESP, added, “We chose GE as the energy storage system provider for this project because they supplied the most comprehensive solution at a competitive price.”