SRP, Plus Power and Avondale to break ground on large-scale battery storage facility

Media Advisory:

WHAT:

SRP, Plus Power LLC, and officials from the City of Avondale will soon break ground on the new large-scale battery facility, Sierra Estrella Energy Storage. The facility will store up to 250 megawatts (MW), or 1,000 megawatt hours (MWh), which will serve SRP customers during times of peak electricity demand and facilitate the integration of renewable resources into the SRP power system. This is enough stored energy to power more than 56,000 average size homes for a four-hour period.

WHEN/WHERE:  

April 12, 10:00-11:00 a.m. 

Sierra Estrella Energy Storage special groundbreaking site 
3700 South Avondale Blvd 
Tolleson, AZ, 85353 

*See map below for parking area and ceremony site. 
Media to contact Erica Roelfs if planning to attend at erica.roelfs@srpnet.com. 

VISUALS: 

• Leaders from SRP, Plus Power and Avondale conducting a ceremonial groundbreaking with shovels and the project site viewable behind the event 
• Renderings of the new facility 
• Potential for construction trucks and equipment 

  INTERVIEWS AVAILABLE:

• Grant Smedley, Director of Resource Planning, Acquisition and Development at SRP
• Molly Emerson, Director of Project Development at Plus Power  
• Councilmember Veronica Malone, Avondale City Council
• Ken Chapa, Economic Development & Tourism Director at the City of Avondale
• Supervisor Steve Gallardo with Maricopa County District 5 

DETAILS: 

The Sierra Estrella facility is one of two battery storage projects SRP recently announced with Plus Power that is scheduled to come online by summer 2024.  

Plus Power will design, build, and operate the project to updated national codes and standards for Battery Energy Storage Systems. Sierra Estrella will utilize state-of-the-art lithium-ion technology with batteries manufactured in the U.S. Additionally, Plus Power is closely coordinating with the Avondale Fire Department, working to prepare a thorough Emergency Response Plan and conduct onsite training to ensure that local first responders are directly engaged in safety planning throughout project design, construction, and operation.    

The Sierra Estrella Energy Storage facility will be a good neighbor and a valuable asset to the surrounding community for decades to come. The project will provide necessary power capacity to the region with no onsite air polluting emissions. As a static facility with insignificant traffic and minimal municipal services, the Sierra Estrella facility will have little impact on neighbors. Significant project benefits to the community include: 

• High-paying construction jobs 
• Enhanced resiliency from a new, state-of-the-art power resource 
• Expanded property tax base for the local district