Renewable energy developer-operator Arevon Energy has begun construction on the 300MW/1,200MWh Nighthawk Energy Storage Project in Poway, California, US.
Arevon developed and will own and operate the US$600 million Nighthawk project. Arevon says the project is expected to pay over US$30 million to local government entities throughout its lifespan, benefiting the county and nearby communities. Poway will receive approximately US$12 million of this total.
California-headquartered electrical contractor Rosendin is building the project on behalf of Arevon, which is anticipated to employ more than 130 workers during the height of construction.
In 2021, Arevon entered into a long-term agreement with Nighthawk to supply energy and resource adequacy to California utility Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E). The project will connect to the grid at the Sycamore Canyon Substation on Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar, serving the larger San Diego region.
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Originally, Arevon and IPP Tenaska were to co-develop Nighthawk. Energy-Storage.news asked the companies for comment, but did not receive word by the time of publication on the extent of Tenaska’s involvement with the project.
Nighthawk was part of a series of projects from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) directives to the state’s load serving entities (LSEs), including utilities, to procure additional energy resources to bolster the grid.
The battery energy storage system (BESS) uses Tesla Megapack systems, and the company says it has added safety measures.
Arevon notes its support to the local community with multiple initiatives, including a US$2 million community fund for Poway, supporting the Rancho Family YMCA, joining the Poway Chamber of Commerce and several other actions.
In a recent interview with ESN Premium, Arevon’s CEO, Kevin Smith, spoke about the importance of community engagement in developing BESS projects, saying:
“Our philosophy is to go in, Day One, with our community relations team and look at how we can help the community. At some point, we’ll hit a bump along the road and will need some help from community leaders. If we haven’t been a participant, it’s too late.”
The company recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the 200MW/400MWh Peregrine BESS project in San Diego, brought online a few weeks ago with Arevon having completed a US$258 million financing for the project in February.
At the ceremony, attended by San Diego’s mayor, Todd Gloria, Arevon emphasised its community engagement efforts, including support for organisations providing housing for homeless individuals, STEM education programmes, and sponsorship of a police softball game with the Deputy Sheriffs’ Association of San Diego.
In early July, Arevon closed a US$600 million credit facility to support its US solar PV and energy storage portfolio.
