Platte River Power Authority, the wholesale public power provider owned by Estes Park, Fort Collins, Longmont and Loveland, is working with Weld Energy Storage, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, to develop the electric utility’s first large-scale battery energy storage project. An agreement was signed earlier this year for a project capable of storing and discharging up to 400 megawatt-hours of energy.
“We are pleased to partner with NextEra Energy Resources to develop our first large-scale battery energy storage project, Weld Energy Storage, which is one part of our solution to maintain reliability,” says Jason Frisbie, general manager and CEO of Platte River. “NextEra Energy Resources developed the Roundhouse Wind Energy Center, the largest wind project on our system, and it has been incredibly successful since it began commercial operation in 2020. NextEra Energy Resources continues to be essential in helping us with our energy transition.”
Platte River is actively pursuing a 100-percent noncarbon energy mix while maintaining reliability, environmental responsibility and financial sustainability for its four owner communities. The new battery project will store up to 100 megawatts of power that can discharge over four hours and seamlessly integrate with existing renewable energy generation…