American Electric Power (AEP) is bolstering its reputation as a pioneer in the use of utility-scale battery technology with plans to install a 4 MW sodium-sulphur NAS battery system in Texas.
The NAS battery will be the largest in the USA and is part of a $67 million initiative by Electric Transmission Texas (ETT) to improve transmission reliability in the Presidio region on the US-Mexico border. The battery, along with the construction of a new substation at Gonzales, is scheduled to be completed in early 2010, in time for summer peak usage.
ETT is a joint venture between AEP and MidAmerican Energy Holdings.
“Very soon, one of the oldest cities in the United States will be benefiting from one of the world’s newest technology developments,” said Calvin Crowder, ETT president. “This battery installation will enhance electrical service for our customers in this region, and completion of this contract will allow the Presidio area to realise its benefits by next summer.”
The estimated cost of the battery and substation is $23 million. A 60 mile, 69 kV transmission line from Marfa to Presidio is targeted for completion by 2012 with an estimated cost of approximately $44 million.
The NAS battery will be supplied by NGK-Locke Inc and will address voltage fluctuations and momentary outages in the grid. In the event of a full outage, it will be able to supply 4 MW of power for up to eight hours.
The battery will be the first utility-scale battery to be installed in Texas and follows in the footsteps of other AEP-led battery projects.
In 2006 the utility installed a 1.2 MW NAS battery near Charleston, W.Va and in 2008 it installed three 2 MW NAS batteries in Indiana, Ohio and West Virginia. The company was the first in the USA to deploy NAS batteries when it installed and operated a demonstration unit in Gahanna, Ohio in 2002.
Linkedin
