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MOSS LANDING – The 182.5-megawatt Tesla Megapack battery energy storage system at the Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s Moss Landing electric substation in Monterey County has been commissioned.

PG&E announced on Monday that Elkhorn Battery, named for its location near Elkhorn Slough, has been commissioned after final testing. The battery energy storage system was energized and certified for market participation by the California Independent System Operator on April 7.

“We are ushering in a new era of electric system reliability and delivering a vision into the future for our customers with the commissioning of the Tesla Megapack system in Moss Landing,” said PG&E Corporation CEO Patti Poppe in a press release. “We are committed to safely delivering reliable and clean energy in a way that achieves the greatest value for our customers, but we can’t go it alone into this clean energy future. Projects like this require innovative partners, such as Tesla, and PG&E will continue to seek out and work with the best and brightest to provide breakthrough clean energy solutions for our customers.”

The Elkhorn Battery system was designed, constructed, and is maintained by both PG&E and Tesla, and is owned and operated by PG&E. It represents one of the largest utility-owned, lithium-ion battery energy storage systems in the world.

The California Public Utilities Commission approved the battery energy storage system in Nov. 2018, and the Monterey County Planning Commission in Feb. 2020. Construction at the site began in July 2020. It includes 256 Tesla Megapack battery units on 33 concrete slabs with each unit housing batteries and power conversion equipment in a single cabinet. Transformers and switchgears were also installed along with the megapacks to connect energy stored in the batteries with the 115 kilovolt electric transmission system.

The battery energy storage system has the capacity to store and dispatch up to 730 megawatt hours of energy to the electrical grid at a maximum rate of 182.5 MW for up to four hours during periods of high demand. The Tesla Megapack Elkhorn Battery system participates in the California Independent System Operator wholesale electric markets, providing energy and ancillary service to the CAISO-controlled power grid.

The battery energy storage system has the capacity to store and dispatch up to 730 megawatt hours of energy to the electrical grid at a maximum rate of 182.5 MW for up to four hours during periods of high demand.

The Elkhorn Battery enhances reliability by addressing capacity deficiencies that have resulted from increased local energy demand. It participates in the CAISO wholesale electric markets, providing energy and ancillary service — such as serving as an operating reserve that can quickly be dispatched to ensure there is sufficient energy to meet demand — to the CAISO-controlled grid.

PG&E now has contracts for battery energy storage systems totaling more than 3,330 MW of capacity being deployed throughout California through 2024.

To date, 955.5 MW, of the 3,330 MW under contract, of new battery storage capacity has been connected to California’s electric grid including:

PG&E anticipates an additional 1,400-plus MW of storage capacity, of the 3,330 MW under contract, to come online in 2022 and 2023.

The Vistra Moss Landing Battery Energy Storage Facility uses LG Energy Solution batteries and is located adjacent to the Tesla Megapack Elkhorn Battery storage system.

Both phase I and II of the Vestra storage system at Moss Landing have been shut down since Sept. 2021 and Feb. 2022 respectively. The cause of both incidents was reportedly overheating batteries that activated the sprinkler systems. The company is further investigating and taking action to mitigate the possibility of similar future events. There were no injuries or fatalities in either incident.

Vistra Energy is preparing to expand its Moss Landing battery energy storage facility further with the 350 MW phase III, as agreement contracts with PG&E have been met, and pending approval of the agreements by the California Public Utilities Commission.

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