Ørsted to advance 1GW BESS in four projects in US Midwest

The joint venture between Danish-based Ørsted and renewables developer Mission Clean Energy will see Ørsted invest its capital into four standalone battery energy storage systems (BESS) totalling 1 GW across the Midwest, helping progress the projects. Mission will continue as the developer.

Together, Mission and Ørsted submitted interconnection applications for four projects totaling 1 GW in the Mid-Continent Independent System Operator (MISO) Central and North. Ørsted will have the option to acquire an ownership stake in the projects as they mature.  

MISO spans many states for its 75,000 miles or more than 120,700km of high-voltage transmission lines: MISO Central includes Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Illinois, and some penetration in Indiana, Kentucky, and Missouri. MISO North covers Minneapolis in Minnesota, along with Iowa, Montana, and North and South Dakota. MISO also manages high-voltage transmission in the Canadian province of Manitoba, which includes Winnipeg.

James Giamarino, Chief Commercial Officer at Ørsted, said: “We look forward to working with Mission Clean Energy under this unique partnership to accelerate the expansion of storage projects across the Midwest and broaden our portfolio of renewable energy technologies and services for customers. Continuing to invest in and build out storage solutions is critical for ensuring a resilient and reliable grid, and this partnership with Mission advances this important goal.” 

Max Bakker, CEO of Mission Clean Energy, said: “The partnership with Ørsted marks a significant milestone for Mission Clean Energy. Ørsted is an ideal partner to complement our development capabilities with their balance sheet strength and sponsorship support. Our combined expertise and resources will accelerate these projects and deliver impactful clean energy solutions in the MISO region.”   

It marks Ørsted’s first standalone battery storage partnership in total, with the existing portfolio consisting of co-located solar and storage projects thus far, including a 40MW storage project at Permian Solar Center in West Texas and the 300 MW/1200 MWh storage project at Eleven Mile Solar Center in Arizona. Ørsted has a portfolio of nearly 6 GW of renewable energy projects in operation or under construction in the US.