Axium Infrastructure and Canadian Solar subsidiaries Recurrent Energy and CSI Energy Storage today announced that Crimson Storage, a 350-MW/1,400-MWh standalone energy storage project, is now in operation and providing flexible capacity to the California grid. A fund managed by Axium owns 80% of the project and Recurrent Energy, the project developer, retains 20% ownership. CSI Energy Storage was the turnkey system integrator of the project, delivering the EPC services and will provide long-term operational services for the project.
Credit: CSI Energy Storage
Crimson Storage is the largest battery storage project in the world to reach operation in a single phase, and it is the second-largest energy storage project currently operating. Sited on public lands in Riverside County, California, the project holds two long-term energy storage contracts with California’s largest utilities, Southern California Edison and Pacific Gas and Electric Company. Both contracts are part of reliability procurements directed by the California Public Utilities Commission.
- Southern California Edison: 200 MW/800 MWh 14-year and 10-month contract under a full tolling agreement, and
- Pacific Gas and Electric Company: 150 MW/600 MWh 15-year contract for Resource Adequacy only; Recurrent Energy and Axium will operate the battery system in the California wholesale power market
California Governor Gavin Newsom said, “The Crimson Energy Storage project epitomizes California leadership – clean energy, innovation, and economic development through good, union jobs. We’ve been laser focused on quickly bringing projects like this online to achieve our goal of a 100% clean energy grid. Congratulations to the people across the public and private sectors who are responsible for bringing this major project online to the benefit of all Californians.”
Credit: CSI Energy Storage
Crimson Storage will enable California customers to obtain more carbon-free energy and will ensure grid reliability during times of peak demand. On average, Crimson Storage will store and dispatch enough electricity to power more than 47,000 homes each year.
Crimson Storage is sited in the California desert on public lands about 13 miles west of Blythe, in Riverside County, California. In May 2021, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) granted final approval of the project, making it the first standalone energy storage project to receive approval to site on BLM lands under the Biden-Harris Administration.
During construction, Crimson Storage employed approximately 140 union workers, including the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, International Union of Operating Engineers, Laborer’s International Union of North America, and the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers Union. The project is expected to add $30 million in property tax revenue to the local community throughout its operation.
Dr. Shawn Qu, Chairman and CEO of Canadian Solar, said, “Crimson Storage is now the largest single phase energy storage project to reach commercial operation in the world and the second largest operating standalone energy storage projects in the world. Recurrent Energy began developing Crimson Storage and our larger energy storage pipeline in 2015 when no large-scale storage projects yet existed. Last year, we started bringing these projects to fruition also thanks to our CSI Energy Storage team. Today we celebrate how far we have come in delivering the much-needed flexible generation that will support the U.S. and California’s transformative climate goals. We thank the California Public Utilities Commission, the U.S. Department of the Interior and our partners at Axium Infrastructure for their critical contributions to this project.”
News item from CSI
