Two BESS projects in Yuma County, Arizona, one from BrightNight, and one from Leeward Renewable Energy, have reached significant milestones.
BrightNight breaks ground on 1,200MWh solar-plus-storage project
IPP BrightNight has broken ground on the 300MW solar PV and 1,200MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) Pioneer Clean Energy Centre site in Yuma County, Arizona.
BrightNight hosted a groundbreaking ceremony at the future site of the project yesterday (11 February). The company said it marked a major milestone for the project that will “deliver reliable, affordable, and clean electricity to Arizona Public Service (APS) customers while strengthening grid resilience in one of the state’s most constrained load pockets.”
In February 2025, BrightNight and IPP Cordelio announced a power purchase agreement (PPA) for the Pioneer project with utility APS.
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BrightNight has collaborated with its joint venture (JV) partner Cordelio on several occasions. In December 2025, the companies announced financial close of the 200MW/800MWh Greenwater BESS in Washington state.
Greenwater, situated in Piece County, will offer capacity and grid services to utility Puget Sound Energy (PSE). In 2024, Energy-Storage.news reported that PSE signed the contract for the Greenwater project.
To supply power from the facility to the grid, BrightNight will build a roughly nine-mile, 230-kilovolt generation-tie transmission line connecting the project to existing infrastructure.
BrightNight claims that the project will prevent around 641,893 metric tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually, while reducing water use by over 99% compared to conventional technologies, saving approximately 260 million gallons of water each year.
Construction officially started in October 2025, with commercial operations scheduled to begin in April 2027. The project is projected to generate about 250 to 300 jobs during construction, along with additional long-term employment opportunities once operational.
The company further claims that Pioneer will generate an estimated US$83.3 million in local and state property tax revenue over its lifetime, including more than US$42 million paid to the Arizona State Land Department K-12 Educational Trust, directly supporting public education across the state.
Leeward’s 450MWh BESS now operational
In related news, developer Leeward Renewable Energy’s (LRE’s) 112.5MW/450MWh Sierra Pinta BESS facility, also in Yuma County, Arizona, is now fully operational.
LRE states that Sierra Pinta is its second grid-connected battery project and is part of a six-phase rollout in Yuma County that began with White Wing Ranch Solar.
The Sierra Pinta BESS is adjacent to the 179MW White Wing Ranch Solar project. That solar PV project has its own separate power purchase agreement (PPA) with telecoms giant Verizon, as our colleagues at PV Tech reported.
Although the project is located in Arizona, PG&E mainly serves customers in nearby California, so the BESS will support the electricity grids of both states. California’s wholesale energy market is managed by the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), but the state is part of the Western Interconnection, a vast synchronous grid that spans parts or all of 14 states.
LRE claims Sierra Pinta created approximately 100 jobs during construction and expects to deliver long-term economic benefits to Yuma County, including an estimated US$12.38 million in local property tax revenue over the life of the project, along with “ongoing community investments.”
The company highlighted its community engagement in Yuma County, stating that it supports local organisations such as Elevate Southwest, Helping Hands of Yuma, Dateland Elementary School, Antelope Union High School, and the Yuma Community Food Bank through the LRE Foundation, and invests in education and workforce development initiatives.
In May 2025, LRE’s 126MW/504MWh Antelope Valley BESS, in Kern County, California, reached commercial operations. The company signed a 15-year power purchase agreement with utility Southern California Edison for this project.
Antelope Valley utilises lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries supplied by Powin, a US-based battery storage system integrator. It marked LRE’s seventh operational clean energy project in California.
The Energy Storage Summit USA will be held from 24-25 March 2026, in Dallas, TX. It features keynote speeches and panel discussions on topics like FEOC challenges, power demand forecasting, and managing the BESS supply chain. ESN Premium subscribers can get an exclusive discount on ticket prices. For complete information, visit the Energy Storage Summit USA website.
