Energy Vault and utility NV Energy have put a 220MW/440MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) into operation in Nevada, US.
The Reid Gardner BESS project in Moapa, Nevada, was built on the site of a decommissioned coal plant and the 2-hour unit is one of the largest BESS in the state.
The BESS will help NV Energy manage peak demand periods on the grid. The utility, the largest public one in the state, will operate the project which utilises Energy Vault’s BESS hardware and software including its energy management system (EMS) Vault-OS.
Energy Vault described the construction process as a ‘compressed schedule’ while Jimmy Daghlian, VP renewables, NV Energy commented:
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“The overall construction process moved very quickly – which allowed us to bring the project in service for our customers ahead of schedule and ahead of the hot summer months. We appreciate Energy Vault’s problem-solving spirit, commitment, and partnership in bringing this project to life.”
NV Energy was revealed as the owner of the project in December 2022 and construction started in Q2 2023. It is owned by investment firm Berkshire Hathaway, and readers may be familiar with it as one of the main offtakers for the Gemini solar-plus-storage project, one of the world’s largest.
Energy Vault is primarily known for its gravity-based long-duration energy storage (LDES) technology EVx, for which it is close to commissioning its first commercial project in China. The company moved into short-duration with BESS and multi-day LDES with green hydrogen because of a slow take-up of LDES technologies, CEO Rob Piconi explained in an interview last year (Premium access).
