Georgia Power gets nod for 65-MW/260-MWh grid-connected battery

US utility Georgia Power has secured regulatory clearance to install a 65-MW/260-MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) to be linked to the power transmission network of its home state.

The subsidiary of utility Southern Company (NYSE:SO) said last week that the approval from the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) gives it the right to build, own and operate the energy storage facility in Talbot County. Finnish technology group Wartsila Corp (HEL:WRT1V) has been chosen as the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor.

Dubbed Mossy Branch, the grid-charging battery will be located near Columbus and will be designed as a standalone unit. It will connect to and charge directly from the electric transmission grid and will be the first standalone BESS on the Georgia Integrated Transmission System.

The project is part of Georgia Power’s 80-MW BESS portfolio included in the company’s 2019 integrated resource plan (IRP).

"The Mossy Branch project will help the company evaluate the value and benefits battery storage provides to the electric system, as well as learn how to optimize operation and maintenance of the BESS facilities," said Wilson Mallard, Georgia Power renewable development director.

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