Luminant, a subsidiary of Vistra Energy , announced that its Upton 2 battery energy storage system project has finished construction and began operating on Dec. 31, 2018.
The battery system, which is the largest energy storage project in Texas and seventh largest in the United States, is located on the site of Luminant’s 180-megawatt Upton 2 Solar Power Plant in Upton County, Texas. The solar facility continues to deliver on the company’s strategic plan to strengthen and expand its integrated businesses through enhanced retail solar offerings and diversity across its generation fleet. It is also direct evidence that competitive generators will invest in batteries in Texas when supported by market economics.
The 10-MW/42-MWh lithium-ion energy storage system captures excess solar energy produced at Upton 2 during the day and can release the power in late afternoon and early evening, when energy demand in ERCOT is highest. The battery system can also take advantage of low-priced grid power — during times of high wind output, for example — to charge the batteries to be available for higher demand periods.
Vistra is also currently developing the world’s largest battery energy storage project, the 300-MW/1,200-MWh storage system at its Moss Landing Power Plant in California, scheduled for commercial operations in the fourth quarter of 2020.
About Luminant
Luminant, a subsidiary of Vistra Energy , is a competitive power generation business, including mining, wholesale marketing and trading, and development operations. Luminant has approximately 41,000 megawatts of generation across 12 states, powered by a diverse portfolio of natural gas, nuclear, coal, and solar facilities. Vistra Energy is a premier, integrated power company based in Texas, combining an innovative, customer-centric approach to retail with a focus on safe, reliable, and efficient power generation. Visit luminant.com and vistraenergy.com for additional information.