IEnova plans over 100-MW BESS in Mexicali with IFC support

Mexican power and gas utility Infraestructura Energetica Nova SAB de CV (BMV:IENOVA), better known as IEnova, announced on Tuesday that it will develop a 100-MW-plus battery energy storage system (BESS) in Mexicali, Mexico.

The project, Volta de Mexicali (VMD), is part of a cooperation agreement with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, which is there to support IEnova in the early development and to contribute to establishing the company’s sustainability-linked finance framework, according to the press release.

The VMD BESS is planned to be located in Mexico, but would be connected to the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) electric grid via an Ienova-owned cross-border transmission line.

Ienova said it expects to develop the project in phases, delivering 100 MW at first, and highlighting its potential of up to 500 MW.

The final investment decision for the first phase could be reached as early as the first half of 2022, while commercial operation could start in mid-2023.

Through its “upstream” pre-investment support of early development projects, IFC will conduct market and interconnection assessments and evaluate BESS charging and dispatch optimisation models, the announcement reads.

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