$300M utility-scale battery storage system proposed in Green Bay

Nov 07, 2024

GREEN BAY - A Danish company wants to build a $300 million utility-scale battery energy storage system (BESS) in an industrial area on Green Bay's east side.

Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) on Monday received initial city approval for a plan to build a 200-megawatt (MW), lithium ion battery storage system on an 8.1-acre portion of the 20-acre property at 2020 N. Quincy St. The property is owned by U.S. Venture Inc. and is located just north of Interstate 43 near several paper mills and NEW Water's sewage treatment plant.

While some companies or homes may have battery backup storage, Tern Energy would be the first utility-scale project in Green Bay and one of only a handful of storage systems in Wisconsin not developed in connection with a new solar or wind farm.

Tern Energy Storage LLC, a CIP subsidiary, would own and operate the BESS. Nebraska-based Tenaska would build the system. CIP has more than $20 billion in assets under its control and has developed renewable energy and infrastructure projects in more than 30 countries on six continents, according to its website.

A battery energy storage system configures a bunch of lithium ion batteries so they're capable of storing enough energy to power thousands of homes for a few hours. The system's batteries are charged by a nearby solar farm, wind farm or the existing power grid at times when energy generation exceeds demand.

The electricity stored in the batteries can be redistributed back into the grid in the event of a surge in demand or other incident.

Tern Energy's BESS would be able to dispense 200 MW of energy each hour for up to four hours. The Danish company in its application for a conditional use permit indicated it is currently developing 550 MW of battery storage capacity in Wisconsin, including the Tern Energy battery storage system.

Jarrod Pitts, a senior development director with Tenaska, told the city's Plan Commission on Monday the project represents a "$300 million investment in the city of Green Bay that will help promote grid reliability."

The project plans submitted to the city indicate Tern Energy would install 450 battery enclosures on the site, 112 transformers and a collection substation. The job would create an estimated 75 construction jobs and two permanent jobs operating the BESS.

The storage system would connect to an American Transmission Company high-voltage substation across Quincy Street via a power line about 12 feet off the ground. The BESS is expected to emit no odors and the only noise it would generate is from heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.

The project timeline provided indicates engineering, permits and technology selection will take into fall of 2025. Construction is projected to start in the fourth quarter of 2025 and the system would start operation in either 2026 or 2027.

Battery energy storage systems are key to help utilities and power grid operators address a key challenge of the transition to renewable energy: The sun doesn't always shine and the wind doesn't always blow.

Battery storage helps fill those gaps and also helps balance peak energy production timeframes, often around noon for solar, and peak energy consumption times, often in the afternoon and evenings.

For this reason, the majority of battery energy storage systems built in Wisconsin thus far have been connected to solar farms. We Energies and Alliant Energy both plan this year to add battery storage to new solar farms in development.

Tern Energy's BESS would just connect into the existing power grid, though, much like the 300 MW battery storage system a Texas-based company proposed last year on Milwaukee's northwest side.

More:From solar farms to electric vehicles, 2024 will be a busy year in Wisconsin's clean energy transition

The Green Bay Plan Commission on Monday approved Tern Energy's request for a conditional use permit to develop the site. But the project still faces additional review if you want to have your say on the proposal. The Green Bay City Council will still need to consider the conditional use permit request.

It was not immediately clear whether Tern Energy will need to secure approval from the Wisconsin Public Service Commission for the BESS as proposed.

Contact business reporter Jeff Bollier at (920) 431-8387 [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @JeffBollier.