Alabama Power is planning to build the state’s first utility-scale battery energy storage system (BESS) on the site of the former Plant Gorgas Site. The planned facility will store up to 150 MW of electricity generated by other Alabama Power resources, enough to power 9,000 homes.
Construction will begin in 2025, with estimated completion by 2027. The lithium iron phosphate batteries that will make up the system will have a 2-hour duration, with the ability to recharge in a little over 2 hours. The goal is to charge the batteries when energy costs are lower and discharge when energy costs are higher, helping to keep costs down. Batteries also have the potential to help integrate additional clean energy resources into the company’s generation mix, providing complimentary technology for variable, weather-dependent resources, like solar.
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