Photo by Prvideotv, Dreamstime.
A worker adjusts valves at a California solar thermal power plant.
A worker adjusts valves at a California solar thermal power plant.
A worker adjusts valves at a California solar thermal power plant.
A worker adjusts valves at a California solar thermal power plant.
A worker adjusts valves at a California solar thermal power plant.

Battery Storage Firm GridStor Buys Los Angeles Basin Projects from Upstream Energy

Oct. 31, 2022
The portfolio consists of multiple projects representing over 500 MW / 2,000 MWh of capacity, or enough to power 375,000 California homes, with proposed online dates between 2024 to 2026.

GridStor, a developer and operator of grid-scale battery energy storage systems, bought a portfolio of storage projects currently in development in the greater Los Angeles area from Upstream Energy of San Diego.

The portfolio consists of multiple projects representing over 500 MW / 2,000 MWh of capacity, or enough to power 375,000 California homes, with proposed online dates between 2024 to 2026.

The projects will be going online in an important time for California’s transition to clean energy, as the state works toward a carbon free electricity system by 2045. To meet these goals, the California Energy Commission projects that 49,000 MW of battery storage will be needed.

The battery storage projects will be built on previously disturbed sites in urban areas in the LA basin area near existing power lines and substations, allowing the batteries to quickly connect to the electric grid upon completion. Once online, the projects will provide needed capacity for regional utilities to ensure power grid reliability and will be key to the increasing volumes of renewable energy being added to the state’s electric grid and managed by California's Independent System Operator.

Once operating, the projects will aim to:

•             Increase the resilience of the electric grid, helping ensure reliable power supply

•             Allow grid operators to integrate more solar and wind power by storing renewable energy in periods of peak generation and delivering it during times of peak demand

•             Generate large capital investments on underutilized land near existing grid infrastructure in urban and suburban areas

•             Support local, state, and federal clean energy goals

•             Create union construction jobs and contribute property taxes for host communities

GridStor was established to build the critical infrastructure needed to transition the electricity grid toward a renewable, low-carbon future. GridStor is backed by the Sustainability and Infrastructure Investing groups within Goldman Sachs Asset Management (Goldman Sachs), a leading clean energy investor. GridStor has assembled a team of experienced professionals with over 125 years of combined energy experience to develop, design, construct and operate battery storage systems at scale.

GridStor’s target markets include regions seeing rapid growth of renewable energy sources, retirements of thermal power plants, increasing grid instability due to unpredictable climate events such as extreme heat and wildfires, and areas seeing higher energy demand and aging grid infrastructure.

Marathon Capital acted as exclusive financial advisor to Upstream Energy.

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