D.E. Shaw Renewable Investments (DESRI) has started construction at a 150MW solar-plus-storage project in the US state of New Mexico, the BESS for which will be manufactured in the US by LG Energy Solution.
The Santa Tera Solar and Storage Project will combine a 150MW solar facility with a 600MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) and is now under construction in Doña Ana County, the independent power producer (IPP) announced earlier this week.
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SOLV Energy will serve as the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor for the project, while LG Energy Solution Vertech will provide US-made BESS along with its AEROS software suite for support through a long-term service agreement (LTSA).
LG Energy Solution Vertech is the system integrator subsidiary of LG Energy Solution, responsible for packaging batteries made by its parent company into a complete BESS and integrating them into sites. Last month, the company started production of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells in Michigan.
Tax credits for energy storage were somewhat spared in President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) which Trump signed into law on 4 July (at least compared to wind and solar). However, restrictions around using equipment from Foreign Entities of Concern (FEOCs) may well lead to greater demand for domestically-produced batteries and BESS.
In January, DESRI sought loan financing for the project, and ESN Premium reported that the project would make use of 156 battery units utilising LFP cell chemistry battery technology. Ultimately, financing for the project came from DNB Bank ASA, New York Branch and the National Bank of Canada.
