A new battery storage facility that can supply power to 65,000 homes and help stabilize Southern California’s electricity supplies has opened in Stanton.
The site was developed by a partnership of private companies Wellhead Electric Co. and W Power LLC, both based in Sacramento, with publicly traded Energy Vault Holdings Inc. (NYSE: NRGV) of Westlake Village.
State and local energy leaders on Dec. 6 joined company representatives for a ribbon-cutting launch of the Stanton Battery Energy Storage System (SBES), one of the largest energy storage systems in Southern California.
The companies say SBES was built in under five months and achieved peak power output in a remarkably short time.
The giant battery project stores excess electricity from the grid at the times when it’s not needed and then puts the power back into the grid when demand for electricity rises.
The storage project in the northwestern part of Orange County will deliver greater resiliency and stability during times of peak energy demand while simultaneously moving California towards a more sustainable energy future, the project leaders said.
Wellhead and W Power own and operate SBES. Energy Vault participated in construction, engineering and design.
The cost to build the facility has not been disclosed.
Build Resilience
The facility helps the region “build resilience while advancing the state’s clean-energy future,” said W Power owner, President and CEO Kara Miles.
The start of operations was announced on Nov. 7.
“SBES is set to have an immediate positive impact on Southern California, but also right here in Orange County,” according to Miles.
The SBES will contribute significantly to California’s carbon reduction goals. By storing and providing clean energy, it will aid in reducing the carbon intensity of the local grid.
“With enough storage capacity to power 65,000 homes, SBES is capable of delivering enough clean energy to keep the lights on for many in the region,” the project owners and operators said.
The project aligns with California’s ambitious climate goals and its commitment to transitioning to a more sustainable energy mix.
The Stanton Energy Reliability Center is at 10711 Dale Ave., near a Southern California Edison plant and substation.
Power Producer
Wellhead is a privately held developer, constructor and operator of energy generation and energy storage facilities.
W Power is a California certified woman-and-minority owned business enterprise focused on doing business in California’s energy industry.
Energy Vault develops and deploys utility-scale energy storage solutions.
For the experts, the capacity of the new SBES system in Stanton is listed as “68.8 MW/275.2 MWh.”
