65 MW Mossy Branch Battery Facility adds
resiliency to Georgia's electric
grid; Company leadership and elected officials tour site in
Talbot County on Thursday
ATLANTA, Nov. 8, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Georgia Power leaders joined elected officials from
the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC), Georgia legislature, and Talbot and Muscogee counties on Thursday to mark
commercial operation of the company's first "grid-connected"
battery energy storage system (BESS). The Mossy Branch Battery
Facility is capable of 65 megawatts (MW) of battery storage that
can be deployed back to the grid over a four-hour period, adding
resiliency to the state's power grid and helping ensure reliable
energy for a growing Georgia.
The Mossy Branch facility was approved by the Georgia Public
Service Commission as part of Georgia Power's 2019 Integrated
Resource Plan (IRP) and is a standalone storage unit that connects
with and charges directly from the electric grid. BESS projects
like Mossy Branch support the overall reliability and resilience of
the electric system, while also enhancing the value of intermittent
renewable generation resources such as solar. Storage systems can
improve the efficiency of renewable energy by storing excess energy
produced during periods when the demand for electricity is lower,
for use when the demand is higher, such as on cold winter mornings.
Because battery storage can provide stored energy to the grid for
hours on demand, BESS resources enhance the overall reliability of
the electric system.
"We know our customers depend on us to make the investments in
our state's power grid needed to deliver reliable energy to their
homes and businesses around the clock," said Kim Greene, chairman, president and CEO of
Georgia Power at the Mossy Branch site on Thursday. "Battery energy
storage is an example of a new technology that will make our grid
more reliable and resilient every day, and especially during
extreme weather events such as Hurricane Helene or Winter Storm Elliott. The Mossy Branch facility
is an incredibly valuable addition to our grid and commercial
operation of this site is a significant milestone in our continued
work with the Georgia PSC to evolve and enhance Georgia's power grid."
Georgia Power worked with industry leader Wärtsilä to provide
the engineering, procurement and construction services for the
Mossy Branch facility. The project utilizes the GEMS Digital Energy
Platform, Wärtsilä's energy management system, to manage the
facility and provide secure operations, and is built with
Wärtsilä's Quantum, a fully integrated, modular, and compact energy
storage system.
New Battery Energy Storage Projects Underway Across
Georgia
Georgia Power continues to work with the Georgia PSC
to procure and develop BESS projects across Georgia. In addition to the Mossy Branch
facility, Georgia Power is developing the 265 MW McGrau Ford Phase
I BESS project in Cherokee County.
This project was approved in the 2022 IRP, and Georgia Power
expects it to enter service by the end of 2026.
An additional 1,000 MW of new battery energy storage is expected
to be procured in the coming years through competitive bidding
processes and, in August, Georgia Power also announced the
locations of 500 MW of new BESS projects that will be owned by the
company. These new company-owned projects include 128 MW located
adjacent to Robins Air Force Base (Bibb
County); 49.5 MW located adjacent to Moody Air Force Base
(Lowndes County); 57.5 MW located
on the former Plant Hammond site (Floyd
County); and 265 MW as a second phase of BESS at McGrau
Ford. Read more here.
To learn more about how Georgia Power is meeting the needs of
customers through a diverse, balanced energy portfolio,
visit www.GeorgiaPower.com/IRP.
About Georgia Power
Georgia Power is the largest
electric subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), America's
premier energy company. Value, Reliability, Customer Service and
Stewardship are the cornerstones of the company's promise to 2.7
million customers in all but four of Georgia's 159 counties. Committed to
delivering clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy, Georgia
Power maintains a diverse, innovative generation mix that includes
nuclear, coal and natural gas, as well as renewables such as solar,
hydroelectric and wind. Georgia Power focuses on delivering
world-class service to its customers every day and the company is
recognized by J.D. Power as an industry leader in customer
satisfaction. For more information, visit
www.GeorgiaPower.com and connect with the company on Facebook
(Facebook.com/GeorgiaPower), X (X.com/GeorgiaPower) and Instagram
(Instagram.com/ga_power).
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SOURCE Georgia Power