Denmark-headquartered multinational energy company Ørsted has put its 250MW/500MWh Old 300 energy storage project in Needville, Texas, US into operation.
Announced 5 August, the Old 300 battery energy storage system (BESS) is now fully integrated into the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) grid.
Old 300 is collocated with the 430MW solar PV project Old 300 Solar. Ørsted stated that Old 300 Storage is operated independently from Old 300 Solar and “will help improve grid stability by providing power when it is needed most.”
Old 300 Solar has been in operation since 2024. In 2021, Ørsted entered into a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Microsoft for the Old 300 Solar project.
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Ørsted claimed that combined, the solar and storage projects will provide approximately US$110 million in property tax revenue that will support local infrastructure, schools, and emergency services.
Notably, Ørsted procured the BESS solution for Old 300 storage from Tesla, highlighting that the Megapacks deployed at the project were manufactured in Lathrop, California, at Tesla’s Megafactory. Tesla’s Lathrop Megapack factory has an annual production capacity of approximately 40GWh. The company recently reported that it deployed 13.5GWh of energy storage in Q2 2026, its second-highest quarterly figure to date.
Ørsted and Tesla also collaborated with the Needville Fire Department to provide education on the latest BESS technology and safety response protocols.
Originally founded as a national oil and gas exploration company, Ørsted has become one of the world’s largest offshore wind developers, divesting its oil and gas assets in 2017. The Danish government remains the largest shareholder in the NASDAQ-listed company. Ørsted deployed its first standalone BESS project—a 20MW system in the UK—in 2019, followed by a 40MW system in 2021.
In May, Ørsted purchased the 150MW Salzburg BESS project in Michigan from developer ESA Solar Energy. The companies noted that the project’s location makes it well-suited to fulfill Michigan utilities’ offtake needs.
Texas remains an active market for BESS, with multiple companies advancing BESS projects in June, including Canadian Solar subsidiary e-Storage, developer-operator Spearmint Energy, and developer OCI Energy.
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