CPS Energy, a municipally owned energy company in the US, has signed agreements with Eolian to establish two large-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) in Texas.
The Ferdinand and Padua 2 projects, with capacities of 200MW and 150MW respectively, will become operational in the first half of 2026.
The facilities, located in South Bexar County, Texas, represent a continuation of the existing partnership between Eolian and CPS Energy, which includes the 50MW Padua 1 project currently under construction.
The new installations will increase CPS Energy's contracted battery energy storage to 400MW, excluding the 10MW already operational.
This expansion is a key component of the utility's Vision 2027 generation plan, which has been actively diversifying and re-inforcing the utility's energy mix.
CPS Energy president and CEO Rudy Garza stated: “I am proud of the work CPS Energy has done to secure another 350 MW of generation for our growing community.
“This is another step in executing our Vision 2027 generation plan and we are excited about the benefits it will provide to our community through both reliability and economic development.”
Since the plan's endorsement by the board of trustees in January 2023, CPS Energy has made substantial additions to its energy portfolio.
These additions include more than 1.7GW of owned natural gas generation, 500MW of natural gas firming capacity, 84MW of wind capacity and contracts for 730MW of solar energy alongside 50MW of storage capacity.
Eolian CEO Aaron Zubaty stated: “Following on to the 50MW Padua 1 project already under construction for CPS Energy, this additional 350MW of four-hour duration battery energy storage will provide new dispatchable capacity to the San Antonio area by mid-2026, representing the single largest buildout of standalone battery energy storage in ERCOT to date and proving that deployment of fast and flexible energy storage resources at critical grid locations can bridge the many years until new transmission can be constructed to further support load growth and alleviate systemwide congestion.”
In May 2024, CPS Energy agreed to acquire an extra 2% stake in the South Texas Nuclear Project from Constellation.
