Vistra connects 300-MW battery to grid in California

Vistra Corp. announced Jan. 6 that its 300-MW/1,200-MWh first phase of the Moss Landing Energy Storage Facility in Monterey County, Calif., is completed and connected to the grid. The company said the lithium-ion battery storage project is the largest of its kind in the world.

The battery storage facility is inside the refurbished former turbine building of the gas-fired power plant, which was retired after it failed to secure a resource adequacy contract. Given the size of the facility and development plans already in place, the battery capacity is scalable up to 1,500 MW/6,000 MWh of storage capacity should market and economic conditions support it, according to a news release by Vistra.

The 100-MW second phase of the same project is underway and will be operational by August, Vistra said.

The battery will store excess electricity from the grid and make it available during peak hours and when solar power generation is declining, usually early morning and late afternoon.

The Moss Landing battery storage project has secured a long-term resource adequacy contract with PG&E Corp. subsidiary Pacific Gas and Electric Co.