Estuary Power has commenced operations of the 185MW solar, 400MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) Escape project in Lincoln County, Nevada, US.
The first phase of Escape, with 70MW of solar PV capacity, began supplying power to Caesars Entertainment and Wynn Las Vegas, two popular Las Vegas hotel and casino resorts, under long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) in June.
Escape’s second phase, consisting of 115MW of solar and 400MWh of battery capacity, will begin supplying MGM Resorts International’s hotel and casino resort later this year.
Bechtel Infrastructure and Power Corporation is constructing Escape’s solar arrays. Dashiell Corporation completed its substation and certain transmission upgrades.
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Tesla is supplying and installing the BESS, and Chinese-headquartered solar manufacturer JinkoSolar is supplying tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) photovoltaic modules.
Estuary, located in Reno, Nevada, specialises in developing, owning, and managing large-scale energy generation and storage projects across the western US. It is a predominantly woman-owned business supported by Ullico Infrastructure Fund (UIF).
UIF’s investors mainly consist of union pension funds, including several Nevada unions whose members work at Escape, such as the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 357, Operating Engineers Local 12, and Labourers’ International Union of North America Local 872.
According to Jill Daniel, CEO of Estuary, Escape has also “created nearly 500 union construction jobs for members of union locals whose pension funds are invested in Estuary.”
Estuary recently obtained extra funding for the Escape project, including the initial tax equity investment from Morgan Stanley Renewables and an increased term loan from Denham Capital on behalf of its clients.
Aside from Escape, Estuary has four other planned or active BESS projects in Nevada with a total capacity of 14,400MWh.
Las Vegas is recognised for its dedication to renewable energy initiatives. According to the city’s website, in 2016, it was the first major US city to switch entirely to renewable energy for powering its buildings, streetlights and facilities.
According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), in 2024, approximately 53% of Nevada’s in-state electricity generation came from natural gas, while renewable energy resources accounted for approximately 43% of the state’s total generation. Most of the renewable energy generation came from solar PV projects, comprising 31% of the 43% figure.
Nevada is also home to Primergy’s 690MWac/966MWdc solar PV and 380MW/1,400MWh DC-coupled BESS Gemini project, the country’s biggest single-phase co-located solar and storage plant.
