100-megawatt battery storage project, largest in Southern California, begins construction

California — The 100 megawatt / 400 megawatt-hour Ventura Energy Storage grid-scale battery, near Oxnard, CA has commenced construction. With the capacity to serve approximately 80,000 Southern California Edison (SCE) customers, the Project will provide critically-needed grid reliability services.

“Ventura Energy Storage is exactly the type of large battery system that will help avoid power outages, like those recently experienced in California,” said Strata Solar CEO, Markus Wilhelm. “As the State continues to transition away from fossil-fuels, Strata is advancing a portfolio of utility-scale storage projects to respond to the growing need for new clean capacity resources.”

The Project, developed by Strata, was approved by Ventura County in April 2020. Tesla was subsequently awarded an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract to supply the state-of-the-art Megapack battery system. The Project also co-invested in modernizing a local water utility to support area fire suppression and additional business growth.

“This project is the first of several that Capital Dynamics is building in California to help the stability of the California grid,” said John Breckenridge Senior Managing Director, Head of Clean Energy Infrastructure at Capital Dynamics. “We are pleased to be at the forefront of solving some of the most challenging issues for grid stability and pleased to be partnering here with a leading developer like Strata.”

Ventura Energy Storage was selected by SCE for a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) to supply local capacity to the Ventura and Santa Barbara region. The Project will provide $3 million in new sales taxes and more than $9 million in new property taxes to Ventura County. To ensure local job growth, a Project Labor Agreement has been signed with the Tri-Counties Building and Construction Trades Council. Operations are expected to commence in Q1 2021.