Battery storage leads 400-MW addition to Texas power grid's commercially operating resources

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas approved more than 400 MW of generation for commercial operations in October, led by battery storage, then solar, then natural gas, the latest Generation Interconnection Status Report shows.

ERCOT deemed more than 2.1 GW of projects inactive, however, because of failing to meet milestones toward completion. Another 404.1 MW in projects were canceled altogether.

Released late Nov. 1, the report shows the addition of 175.6 MW of battery storage. The Texas grid's battery storage fleet has more than doubled in 2022, from about 833 MW at the end of 2021 to almost 1,999 MW as of the end of October, which may reflect the Public Utility Commission of Texas' emphasis on encouraging investment in dispatchable generation for ERCOT's energy and ancillary service markets.

Another 103.1 MW of storage was approved for synchronization, the last step before commercial operation. Synchronization means the resource interacts with the grid—i.e., charges and discharges—but does not participate in markets. As of the end of September, ERCOT had 799 MW in this category, according to ERCOT's monthly Capacity Changes by Fuel Type Charts. The October set will likely be released around Nov. 8.

The latest GIS Report also shows 25.1 MW of battery storage approved for energization, the last step before synchronization.

Inactive and canceled projects

Battery storage also was the leading category among projects deemed inactive in October because of a lack of progress, with seven projects totaling 1.6 GW, followed by two solar projects totaling 354.9 GW and a 165-MW wind project.

Two gas-fired generation resources were approved for commercial operation: an 83-MW upgrade for a plant in Odessa in the Permian Basin and a 12-MW peaker near the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in Harris County. These bring ERCOT's commercially operating gas fleet to a total nameplate capacity of 66.7 GW, up 409 MW from the end of 2021.

The only intermittent renewable resource approved for commercial operation was the 137.5-MW Nebula Solar project in Cameron County at the southern tip of Texas. This brings ERCOT's commercially operating solar fleet to a total nameplate capacity of 9.1 GW, up 803.5 MW from the end of 2021.

Solar capacity was the leading category of resource for which projects were canceled in October, totaling 274.1 MW among three projects, followed by a 130-MW gas project near Odessa.