Georgia Power has officially confirmed the initiation of construction of a new 200-megawatt (MW) battery energy storage system (BESS) in Twiggs County, southeast of Macon, Ga.
According to certain reports, this particular project was selected through competitive processes resulting from the 2023 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) Update and was approved for construction by the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC). More on the same would reveal how this 200 MW project is designed to quickly dispatch stored energy over a four-hour period.
For better understanding, BESS projects support the overall reliability and resilience of the electric system, while simultaneously enhancing the value associated with intermittent renewable generation resources, such as solar. We get to say so because these storage systems can improve the efficiency of renewable energy by storing excess energy produced during periods when the demand for electricity is lower. This stored energy is then deployed whenever the demand is higher during events, such as on cold winter mornings when solar is unavailable.
These BESS facilities also have a big role to play in the context of cost-effectively addressing power needs identified by 2023 IRP Update.
“At Georgia Power, our collaboration with the Georgia PSC and other stakeholders is key to making necessary investments for a reliable and resilient power grid,” said Rick Anderson, senior vice president and senior production officer for Georgia Power. “With the construction of the 200 MW BESS in Twiggs County, we will be able to better serve our existing customers and support Georgia’s growth. As we expand our energy mix to include more renewable sources, these batteries will play an invaluable role in helping to ensure reliability and flexibility, particularly when renewable sources are not available.”
Moving forward, as a part of an All-Source Request for Proposals (RFP), Georgia Power is currently seeking approval from the Georgia PSC for 10 new BESS facilities with a total capacity of 3,022.5 MW and two new state-of-the-art solar systems. This comes after a thorough site selection process for the systems, a process which was based on deployment capabilities, including the opportunity to locate more resources at existing company plant sites, other company-owned land, and sites near existing substations.
Apart from that, Georgia Power is also separately seeking bids for its 500 MW of Energy Storage Systems (ESS) with a storage discharge duration of a minimum of two-hours. The RFP, administered by independent evaluator Ascend Analytics on behalf of Georgia Power, will basically solicit standalone ESS with grid charging capability, along with ESS with Renewable Resource (new or existing) and grid charging capability.
Founded in 1902, Georgia Power’s rise up the ranks stems from delivering clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy. The company also maintains a diverse, innovative generation mix which includes nuclear, coal and natural gas, as well as renewables such as solar, hydroelectric and wind.
Georgia Power’s excellence in what it does can be understood once you consider it is trusted, at the moment, by more than 2.8 million customers across all but four of Georgia’s 159 counties.
