Evlo Energy Storage plans more than 300 MWh of batteries in Virginia

The Evlo Energy Storage Inc. unit of Canada’s Hydro-Quebec has announced plans for three battery energy storage systems (BESS) in the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States.

Kicking off with a 1.65 MW/5 MWh testing site in 2025, Evlo will add an 18.8 MW/75 MWh grid-connected battery later in that year and will install what it described as Virginia’s largest battery energy storage project, in 2026.

The initial, 5 MWh site will be used to “study and learn how BESS can improve grid stability and support the energy transition,” said Evlo on its website. The project will be linked to a solar and battery powered microgrid.

The 75 MWh site planned for commissioning later in 2025 will provide grid services and 2026 will see the construction of a 56.25 MW/225 MWh, solar-connected storage project at a “major transportation hub,” according to Evlo.

Ongoing fire safety concerns about large scale batteries in North America – which have come to the fore since the near-two-week blaze in Otay Mesa, near San Diego in May 2024 – were reflected in the press release issued by Evlo about its Virginia plans, published on the Businesswire platform.

The energy storage unit of Quebec state-controlled Hydro-Quebec said the three Virginia projects would feature active and passive fire prevention measures; would meet the UL 9540 certification standard for grid-scale batteries in the United States; would benefit from Evlo’s Engineering Validation Plan, which tests the system in real-time; and would encompass “enhanced fire safety features … as requested by the customers.”

Evlo said the Virginia Clean Energy Act, of 2020,v aims for 100% clean energy by 2050.