California Approves Battery Installation to Provide Black Start Service at Gas-Powered Plant

The California Energy Commission on Feb. 20 approved the installation of a battery storage system to the Russell City Energy Center, a 600-megawatt natural-gas fired power plant, to provide black start capability.

• The project consists of installing 6 to 10 megawatts of lithium-ion batteries, which would be used to start the gas turbines, in order to restart the power plant in the event of a blackout.
• The application shows that battery storage, long associated with advancing renewable integration into the power grid, also is finding traction in supporting fossil fuel generating capacity.
• Russell City Energy Center is 75 percent owned by Calpine Corporation and the remainder by GE Energy Financial Services.

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