Quinbrook’s solar and storage developer Primergy has chosen the equipment and construction partners for its US$1.2 billion Gemini Project in Nevada, US, which will have a 1,416MWh battery energy storage system (BESS).
Kiewit Power Constructors Co. will be the Gemini project’s engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) partner and IHI Terrasun Solutions will deliver and integrate the BESS. The project is expected to be completed in late 2023 and start operations soon after.
Primergy says the BESS will have a capacity of 1,416MWh, making it easily one of the largest solar-plus-storage projects in the US and, by extension, the world.
David Scaysbrook, Managing Partner of Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners which launched Primergy in 2020, commented:
Enjoy 12 months of exclusive analysis
- Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
- In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
- Annual digital subscription to the PV Tech Power journal
- Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual
Or continue reading this article for free
“The Quinbrook and Primergy teams have worked diligently to evaluate each supplier’s credentials and track record from an ESG perspective in accordance with Quinbrook policies. This includes detailed supply chain investigation and materials sourcing to ensure we have procured responsibly, especially in a challenging market and regulatory environment for solar and storage equipment.”
The Gemini project’s 1.8 million bifacial solar modules, for which Maxeon was chosen as supplier last year, will provide 690MWac/966MWdc of solar power, enough to power the entire city of Las Vegas, Primergy said.
Primergy has already had a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Berkshire Hathaway-owned utility NV Energy in place for Gemini. The partnership between the two companies is extensive with 1,300 MWac of operational solar and 3,330 MWh of BESS under contract between them.
The company says it has made significant efforts to minimise the impact of the project’s footprint on local flora and fauna, including creating the industry’s first Desert Tortoise Relocation Plan in partnership with biologists.
Other notably large solar-plus-storage projects include utility Florida Power & Light’s recently completed Manatee project which has a 900MWh solar-charged BESS and developer Terra-Gen’s Edwards Sanborn project in California. Terra-Gen is building Edwards Sanborn in phases, hoping to eventually reach 760MW PV and 2,445MWh of BESS, and has already reached financial close for 346MWac PV and 1,501MWh of battery storage. Part of that project, which has multiple off-takers, is already online.
