Wartsila announced its deal with Able Grid Energy Solutions to supply its energy storage technology for two major projects in southern Texas, USA.
The interconnected stand-alone systems will have a combined rated capacity of 200 MW. Wartsila has also signed ten-year guaranteed asset performance agreements for the installations.
Able Grid Energy Solutions is a utility-scale energy storage project development arm of MAP RE/ES, one of North America’s leading investors in modern energy projects.
The Madero and Ignacio energy storage plants will deliver grid support to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), the body responsible for managing the electric supply to more than 25 million customers.
Wartsila will supply its integrated GridSolv Quantum energy storage solution. The modular solution is designed for ease of deployment and sustainable energy optimization, Risto Paldanius, vice president, Americas, Wartsila Energy, said.
The energy storage systems will feature Wartsila’s GEMS smart energy management platform to monitor and control the flow of energy, enabling these projects to provide grid support for critical periods during extreme weather or grid instability conditions.
“Able Grid selected Wartsila technology for its critical safety and cyber-security features. The system complies with all applicable standards, like UL9540A, to ensure sustained safe and reliable operations. In addition, the GEMS Power Plant Controller is U.S.-code based and meets all IEC62443 cybersecurity standards,” said Sharon Greenberg, Able Grid chief operating officer.
“The Madero and Ignacio projects will participate in the existing ERCOT wholesale electricity market, delivering ancillary services required for grid stability, including frequency regulation,” said Aaron Zubaty, CEO of MAP RE/ES.
The projects’ 10-year Wartsila Guaranteed asset performance agreements will enable flexibility in system maintenance and operation in order to maximize revenue in the ERCOT market. The agreements include maintenance services, an availability guarantee, and a flexible capacity guarantee based on usage.
Able Grid will provide construction management and operational asset management services for the facility, which is owned by a privately-held energy storage power producer currently building multiple utility-scale energy storage projects across the US.