Energy Storage

SRP eyes long-duration storage, including at to-be-decommissioned coal plant

The Arizona utility has issued an RFP for long-duration energy storage technologies to be operational at two sites.
SRP eyes long-duration storage, including at to-be-decommissioned coal plant
The Coronado Generating Station (CGS) in St. John’s, AZ (Credit: SRP)

Salt River Project (SRP) has issued a request for proposals for both inverter and non-inverter based long-duration energy storage (LDES) technologies for demonstration projects with a capacity of 5 MW to 50 MW and a duration of 10 hours.

SRP is seeking a non-lithium-ion inverter-based LDES technology with a target online date of no later than 2028. This resource will be located at the Copper Crossing Energy and Research Center in Florence, Arizona, which will also host CMBlu Energy’s “Desert Blume”, a 5 MW, 10-hour LDES project.

The company is also seeking a non-lithium-ion, non-inverter based LDES technology as a pilot at its coal-fired Coronado Generating Station (CGS) in St. Johns, Arizona. CGS is scheduled to be decommissioned in 2032. This RFP is part of SRP’s work to explore other resources to repurpose the site.

“We’re seeking proposals from emerging storage technologies to consider how they could support achieving SRP’s sustainable power system of the future,” said Chico Hunter, Manager of Innovation and Development at SRP. “We’re proud of SRP’s many lithium-ion battery storage projects coming online, and with the significant growth in our service territory, it is important we continue to pilot new types of energy storage technologies.”

SRP’s recent Integrated System Plan determined SRP will need to at least double power resource capacity from a wide range of technologies, including LDES, in the next decade to continue to provide affordable, reliable and sustainable energy to one of the fastest growing areas of the nation.

Through this RFP and pilot process, SRP aims to better understand the performance and costs associated with emerging non-lithium-ion LDES technologies. This will support SRP’s ongoing planning efforts to prepare for the Valley’s rapidly evolving power system needs while prioritizing affordability, reliability and sustainability.