Blue Ridge Power Agency (BRPA) is turning to Lightshift Energy to deploy a portfolio of battery energy storage projects across Virginia in collaboration with Central Virginia Electric Cooperative (CVEC), Craig-Botetourt Electric Cooperative (CBEC) and the City of Salem Electric Department, with the potential for more BRPA projects in the future. The first five projects are currently under construction and are expected to be online in 2026. The initial project portfolio will save the BRPA utilities approximately $100 million over project lifetimes.
“We are excited to see these facilities come online and produce savings for the members and customers of CBEC, CVEC and Salem,” said Alice Wolfe, General Manager of BRPA. “Rising transmission and capacity costs have been a source of concern for some time, and these new battery projects will begin to control these costs.”
The five-project portfolio has been strategically deployed in rural Virginia at three CVEC locations, one with CBEC, and one with Salem. The projects are all approximately 5 MW and are distribution-connected, allowing them to provide benefits to both the distribution and transmission systems as well as the local communities…