The BESS will be a standalone lithium iron phosphate system that will charge up to 150 MW of electricity with a two-hour duration.
Alabama Power announced plans to develop the state’s first utility-scale battery energy storage system (BESS) on the site of a former coal plant.
The Plant Gorgas coal-fired plant generated electricity from 1917 until it was closed in 2019 due to what the company said were “federally driven environmental mandates.” The utility said it would have taken an additional $300 million to operate the plant in compliance with the latest environmental mandates.
Alabama Power was also fined $1.25 million in 2018 for polluting ground water near its coal ash ponds.
“This facility will help Alabama Power understand how we can best use battery systems on our electric grid so that customers have power when they need it,” said Jeff Peoples, Alabama Power Chairman, President and CEO. “The project honors Plant Gorgas’ legacy, which has played a significant role in powering the state of Alabama since 1917.”
Former coal generation stations are attractive sites as new generation facilities, as they have high-voltage transmission lines already in place. The BESS will be a standalone system that will connect to and charge up to 150 MW of electricity, or enough to power about 9,000 homes.
Alabama Power also noted in a release that batteries can “help integrate additional clean energy resources into the company’s generation mix, providing complementary technology for variable, weather-dependent resources, like solar.”
The lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries that make up the system will have a two-hour duration, with the ability to recharge in a little over two hours. LFP is said to be safer than the more common lithium-ion battery because they have a much higher thermal runaway temperature, and therefore the potential for cell rupture due to thermal runaway is well outside of normal operating conditions, even on the hottest of days.
“Batteries can charge when energy costs are lower and discharge when energy costs are higher, helping keep costs down. They can also supply energy to our system quickly in response to changing conditions,” said Brandon Dillard, senior vice president and senior production officer of Alabama Power. “We are excited to learn how battery storage technology best fits into our system to reliably serve our customers.”
Construction of the Gorges Battery Facility will begin in 2025 and is expected to be complete by 2027.
