LS Energy Solutions Announces Commercial Operations at Big Rock Energy Storage Site in Imperial County, California
LS Energy Solutions (LS-ES), a provider of grid-connected energy storage solutions, announced that commercial operations have begun at the Big Rock energy storage site in Imperial County, California.
The 200 MW/400 MWh project, developed and operated in partnership with Gore Street Energy Storage Fund (GSF), is providing resource adequacy (RA) and ancillary services for the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) electrical grid.
“As California’s grid faces challenges from data center growth, wildfires, and the need to meet carbon reduction goals, utility-scale storage like Big Rock is more critical than ever,” said Curt Feldman, Vice President at LS Energy Solutions.
The Big Rock site includes 137 LS-ES AiON-ESS containers storing energy for two-hour durations. Currently, LS-ES and GSF operate the site at 100 MW of deliverability to supply 400 MWh to CAISO and meet the four-hour discharge stipulation of a 12-year RA contract.
LS-ES is also supporting the site with operational services including preventative and capacity maintenance, an extended warranty, and system remote monitoring for the life of the project.
GSF acquired the Big Rock site in February 2023 from clean energy developer Avantus, and it is the developer’s new project for CAISO. Big Rock joins other energy storage investments by GSF in Texas, Ireland, Great Britain, and Germany, with a total operational portfolio of 753.4 MW/924.1 MWh of energy storage assets.
“We are pleased to see Big Rock delivering the full suite of storage services to CAISO, including operation under the 12-year Resource Adequacy contract we have secured," said Alicja Kowalewska-Montfor, Technical Principal at Gore Street Capital. “Our 200 MW/400 MWh site, supported by LS Energy Solutions, will play a vital role in supporting CAISO in building a more flexible grid for Californians, and we look forward to supporting the operator for years to come.”