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Vistra has announced that the DeCordova Energy Storage Facility, Granbury, Texas is now online. It stores and releases electricity to ERCOT grid just in time for another Texas hot summer. This battery energy storage project, which is 260 megawatts/260 megawatts per hour, is the largest in Texas.
DeCordova was first announced in September 2020. It is one of seven new zero-carbon Vistra projects that Vistra will bring online in Texas in the next few years. The company has invested nearly $1 billion in these new power generation facilities within Texas’ ERCOT market.
We have not lost sight of our fundamental role in providing affordable, reliable electricity as our electric grids and fleets transition to cleaner energy. Curt Morgan, Vistra’s CEO, stated that the battery storage technology at DeCordova achieves these objectives. It provides instantaneous start, dispatchable generation to help offset the intermittency in renewable energy as the grid transitions to low to zero-carbon resources. Vistra is a market leader in Texas in the investment in, ownership, and operation of emission-free power generation. This project, like others, will be a testament to its ability to balance affordability and reliability.
Jim Burke, Vistra’s president and chief financial officer said, “DeCordova presents a unique value proposition. Not only can this battery provide instantaneous full energy to the grid with the flipping of a switch but it is also located on the same site where our DeCordova natural-gas-fueled power station. We have a large battery system that can provide reliable, dispatchable power in a matter of minutes. This combination ensures grid continuity and resilience. These gas-fueled generator units also have diesel backup for seven days in case of disruptions to natural gas supplies. This is another example of Decordova’s resilience.
DeCordova Energy Storage Facility is made up of over 3,000 individual batteries. It can store enough electricity for approximately 130,000 Texas homes during normal grid conditions. The batteries can capture excess electricity from grid during high wind-output times and release it when customers demand it.
The DeCordova Energy Storage Facility uses lithium-ion technology. These containers, along with project inverters, were provided by Sungrow, the project integration company. Mortenson provided both engineering and construction expertise. Construction began in June 2021, and the project was completed in less than one year.
Vistra, along with Brightside Solar Facility and DeCordova, is also finishing the 108-MW Emerald Grove Solar Facility (Crane County) in time for summer. These projects, along with the existing emission-free generation assets (including the most efficient nuclear power plant in the country, Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant), bring Vistra’s zero-carbon Vistra Zero portfolio up to almost 3,300 MW online. Plans are to increase that number to 7,300 MW by 2026.
