Southern California Edison to reinforce grid with 535 MW of batteries

Electric utility Southern California Edison (SCE), an Edison International (NYSE:EIX) company, on Thursday said it will add 535 MW/2,150 MWh of battery energy storage capacity, expected to come online next August, to improve grid reliability in cases of extreme heat.

The move is in response to California governor Gavin Newsom’s emergency proclamation to speed up deployment of clean energy and storage for summer 2021 and 2022.

The energy storage systems will be located at three SCE substations and will be built by US cleantech company Ameresco Inc (NYSE:AMRC).

These SCE-owned storage resources will add to long-term capacity contracts sealed last year for 1,355 MW of utility-scale battery storage and 5 MW of demand response and will take SCE's total installed and procured storage capacity to about 2,810 MW.

The batteries will also reduce the grid’s dependence on natural gas power plants, supporting California’s clean energy and carbon neutrality goals. They will also help Edison International reach its 2045 net-zero greenhouse gas emissions target.

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