LS Energy Solutions to be supplier for 400MWh US Gore Street project

Grid-connected energy storage system provider LS Energy Solutions  (LS-ES) is to supply 200 MW/400 MWh of energy storage for the 100MW / 400MWh Big Rock project - which is being developed by Gore Street Energy Storage Fund (GSF) in Imperial County, California.

The project will use a total of 137 AiON-ESS units in the “largest LS-ES installation yet”, according to a statement. The site will provide resource adequacy (RA) and ancillary services to the CAISO market.

The AiON-ESS units can store energy for two-hour duration and, like other AiON-ESS Energy Series installations, integrate DC and AC components inside each container and provide AC output ready to be fed into medium voltage transformers. Each unit has a power rating of 1.5 MW and can store 3.5 MWh. Along with lithium-ion batteries, the 137 containers include over 1,300 of LS-ES’s modular 140 kVA AiON-SIS string inverters.

“The Big Rock energy storage system is a major step forward for GSF and for LS Energy Solutions. GSF has amassed an impressive energy storage portfolio in the UK, mainland Europe and the US, with assets in Texas and California. We are thrilled to partner with the company on its first large scale system in the US,” said Steve Fludder, CEO and president of LS Energy Solutions.

Gore Street Energy Storage Fund acquired the Big Rock site in February 2023 from Avantus, which will continue to provide administrative and development services for the installation. 

Alex O’Cinneide, CEO of Gore Street Capital, said: “The Big Rock project marks GSF’s most recent acquisition, and the company’s biggest to date. As the Investment Manager, we are thrilled to have the project in our portfolio under management and to work with LS Energy Solutions in bringing the project to fruition.

“As the Company’s first project in California, Big Rock will be an important addition to the CAISO grid, helping to deliver stability to a rapidly decarbonising energy system. Our in-house technical team is looking forward to working with LS-ES and its containerised units as construction at Big Rock progresses, and we’re excited to participate in the CAISO market.”