East Point Energy, wholly owned by Norway's Equinor (EQNR) has now started up its completed Citrus Flatts 100-megawatt/200-MWh battery energy storage unit in Harlingen, Texas, the parent company said on Thursday.
This project marks the fifth battery energy storage facility that Equinor has brought into commercial production in four years and it is the second for East Point after completing a much smaller 10 MW/20 MWh project last year.
Equinor said the projects advance its objective of gaining a "competitive, scalable" presence in onshore power, while progressing East Point's profile from that of developer to independent power producer.
The projects, which will store excess power on the grid and release it during peak demand hours, will operate within the Texas ERCOT power market on a "fully merchant basis".
The statement said Texas generates more wind power than any other US state and is becoming one of the world's biggest solar markets, enabling it to maximize benefits from storage of power.
Equinor said it is separately adding a total of 80 MW/160 MWh of Bess in Virginia's PJM grid across four separate projects, with their operation to begin from early 2027.