rPlus Energies submits Final License Application for 9GWh pumped hydro plant in Wyoming

LinkedIn
Twitter
Reddit
Facebook
Email

rPlus Energies has submitted a Final License Application for a 900MW/9GWh pumped hydro energy storage (PHES) plant in Wyoming, a milestone reached by only six projects in the past 20 years.

The Salt Lake-based firm’s subsidiary rPlus Hydro has submitted the Application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), a move which kickstarts an environmental review and licensing process with local, state and federal bodies.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

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 Seminoe Pumped Storage project will have a maximum power output of 900MW and a discharge duration at that power of 10 hours, meaning a 9,000MWh/9GWh system.

Construction will cost around US$2.5 billion, the company said, and the project will become a crucial component of the regional transmission grid as more renewables come online.

Matthew Shapiro, rPlus Hydro CEO said: “Seminoe Pumped Storage will be an ideal match for Wyoming’s excellent wind energy resource, and will support Wyoming’s role as an energy leader. It can also help ensure efficient utilization of new transmission lines that are, or will soon be, under construction, such as the Gateway lines and TransWest Express.”

It was seven months ago that the company submitted a draft license application for the project.

Energy-Storage.news recently reported on one study which pegged the US’ potential for pumped hydro energy storage at 35TWh, equivalent to nearly another 4,000 projects the size of Seminoe. A map produced as part of that research showed the bulk of the identified sites are in the Mountain West region of the US where Wyoming is.

rPlus Hydro has other pumped hydro projects in the pipeline including Hurricane Cliffs, in Hurricane, Utah, which would contain a 166.6 MW reversible pump-turbine unit. The firm filed a application for a preliminary permit for that project in April 2022.

Energy-Storage.news’ publisher Solar Media will host the 5th Energy Storage Summit USA, 28-29 March 2023 in Austin, Texas. Featuring a packed programme of panels, presentations and fireside chats from industry leaders focusing on accelerating the market for energy storage across the country. For more information, go to the website.

Read Next

Premium
February 6, 2025
ESN Premium hears from independent power producer (IPP) Econergy about its expansion from solar into BESS across Europe.
February 5, 2025
William Derasmo, partner at Troutman Pepper Locke, on the hyperscale data centre boom and how grid-scale storage could play a key role.
February 4, 2025
The government of Estonia will financially back a 500MW pumped hydro energy storage project to meet the country’s need for long-duration energy storage, as the Baltics prepare to disconnect from Russia’s grid this weekend.
February 4, 2025
Renewable energy developer Ampyr Australia has secured Shell Energy Australia’s remaining stake in the 1GWh Wellington battery energy storage system (BESS) in New South Wales.
Premium
February 3, 2025
Although last year saw a dip in installations and projects submitted for planning, the BESS market in the UK continues to steam ahead with over 8GWh online and nearly 20GWh being built.

Most Popular

Email Newsletter