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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.
The battery project will be next to the utility’s largest solar project located in Severance and connect through Platte River’s newest substation that ties directly onto their transmission system. The battery project will be owned and operated by Weld Energy Storage. Weld Energy Storage has entered into a long-term energy storage agreement with Platte River beginning in late 2026, when the project becomes operational.
“We are excited to continue working alongside Platte River, a leading utility in the state of Colorado,” says Anthony Pedroni, vice president of development at NextEra Energy Resources, one of the country’s largest energy infrastructure developers. “We thank Platte River for entrusting us with the development of their first battery energy storage project which will deliver important reliability benefits to Platte River’s customers and the state.”
The large-scale battery project is one of three components of Platte River’s solution to maintain reliability as they continue to replace coal-fired generation resources with wind and solar energy.
“We’re in the middle of deploying five megawatts of distribution-level energy storage projects in each owner community, building out a virtual power plant and seeking to permit state-of-the-art aeroderivative turbines,” Frisbie says. “Together, these resources are critical to maintaining the reliability and financial sustainability of our renewable energy portfolio.”
Weld Energy Storage is currently in the permitting process and expects to begin construction early next year. NextEra Energy Resources’ subsidiaries operate three battery energy storage facilities in Colorado—the third of which, Jackson Fuller Energy Storage, came online last month.
