A 128 MW BESS near Warner Robins, Ga., entered commercial operation to enhance grid reliability and flexibility when paired with nearby solar generation. Burns & McDonnell, the engineering, procurement and construction contractor, delivered the project on schedule for Georgia Power under the state's Integrated Resource Plan process.
Snapshot
Company - Georgia Power, a Southern Company subsidiary
Project - Robins Battery Facility
Location - Near Warner Robins, Ga., in Macon-Bibb County
Capacity - 128 MW, up to four hours of discharge
Technology - Battery storage paired with the Robins Solar Facility
Contractor - Burns & McDonnell, engineering, procurement and construction
Approval - Georgia PSC 2023 Integrated Resource Plan Update
Status - In commercial operation
Georgia Power, the largest electric subsidiary of Southern Company, has put the Robins Battery Facility into commercial operation near Warner Robins, Ga. Rated at 128 MW, the battery can feed the grid for up to four hours at a stretch. The Robins Solar Facility stands next door, and the two work as a pair. Batteries get charged while customer demand is low, and then empty again when it climbs, on cold winter mornings and at the afternoon peak.
Burns & McDonnell, the EPC contractor, has delivered the plant on schedule. State legislators, Macon-Bibb County officials and leaders from Robins Air Force Base joined utility executives to mark the start.
"Seeing the Robins Battery Facility enter commercial operation is an important milestone for Georgia Power and for the future of energy in our state," said Rick Anderson, senior vice president and senior production officer at Georgia Power. "By pairing battery storage with solar generation, we're creating a more flexible and resilient grid that can respond to customer needs during periods of peak demand while supporting Georgia's continued growth."
The facility is one of four battery storage projects approved in the Georgia Public Service Commission's 2023 Integrated Resource Plan Update. Facilities in Cherokee and Lowndes counties are complete and total 579.5 MW; a 57.5 MW plant in Floyd County is nearing completion. The commission has also approved nine further BESS facilities across eight sites, adding more than 3,000 MW. Those sites were chosen for their proximity to existing infrastructure, substations and company-owned properties, and they include Plants Bowen, Hammond, McIntosh, Wansley and Yates and stand-alone sites in Hall and McDuffie counties.
Two solar plants paired with storage, in Laurens and Mitchell counties, have also won approval and will provide a combined 350 MW of generating capacity; they are laid out to draw the most from the solar resource on the least land. Georgia Power serves 2.8 million customers in all but four of Georgia's 159 counties from a fleet of nuclear, coal and natural gas plants alongside solar, hydroelectric and wind.