Strata Solar Replaces Peaker Plants With Massive New Tesla-Powered Energy Storage Facility
Strata Solar announced this week it has completed the pre-construction development work on one of the largest stationary energy storage facilities in the US . The new 100-megawatt, 400-megawatt-hour facility will be installed in Ventura County, where it will offset some of the peak power generating capacity lost by the shutdown of the Mandalay and Ormond power generation facilities in Oxnard, California, over the last year and a half.
Construction of the new facility is slated to commence in July, and it is expected to be fully operational in 2021.
Strata led the development of the Tesla Megapack–powered project that will bring critical energy storage capacity to the area, as well as jobs and taxes. Strata Solar estimates that more than $3 million in new sales and use taxes and more than $9 million in new property taxes will be generated by the project.
Moving forward, Tesla will be providing end-to-end engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) services for the project using local union labor. To support the use of local union labor, a Project Labor Agreement was signed with the Tri-Counties Building and Construction Trades Council.
“Ventura Energy Storage is exactly the type of modern and clean energy infrastructure investment our community needs,” said Oxnard Mayor Tim Flynn. “Our citizens want more renewable energy and companies like Strata Solar help make it happen. Together, the City of Oxnard and Ventura Energy Storage are the leaders in the transition to technologies that enable clean energy.”
Strata Solar’s bid for the massive new project was selected as the winner of a competitive bidding process with local utility Southern California Edison (SCE) early last year. Since then, the project has been running at record pace to complete the development of the project. Even the COVID-19 shut-in couldn’t stop the project, as county officials continued to meet remotely, even issuing the final approval via Zoom conference.
“The project will help to ensure local energy reliability, and in the event of a Public Safety Power Shutoff the facility will convey stored energy to the grid, providing power to our local homes and businesses,” Ventura County CEO Mike Powers said. “This will help keep the lights on when some need it most. We appreciate these types of projects especially as we adopt strategies to stimulate our local economy following the economic impacts of COVID-19.”
The new Strata Solar energy storage installation in Ventura County is being dubbed the Ventura Energy Storage project. When installed, it will be the largest energy storage facility in local utility Southern California Edison’s overarching plan to replace recently shuttered gas electricity generating stations in Ventura County, and one of the largest energy storage installations in the country. When operational, it will provide local residents with enough reliable peak power to power approximately 80,000 homes and businesses.
“On behalf of the people of Oxnard, congratulations to Strata Solar for investing in our community with the Ventura Energy Storage clean energy facility, partially replacing the obsolete technology of once-through-cooling plants that Oxnard’s coast has hosted for decades,” said Oxnard Mayor Pro-Tem Carmen Ramirez. “We are very grateful for Strata’s demonstrated corporate responsibility, supporting good jobs and community benefits. This is the future of energy, now here in our county.”
Source: Greentech Media
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