The German energy group RWE has started building three battery energy storage systems (BESS) in Texas (United States), with a total capacity of 450 MW and storage capacity of 900 MWh.
Crowned Heron 1 and Crowned Heron 2 are both 150 MW/300 MWh BESS projects located in Fort Bend County, Texas. Construction of Crowned Heron 1 is expected to be completed in summer of 2025, with Crowned Heron 2 commissioning planned for fall of 2025. Cartwheel is a 150 MW/300 MWh BESS project located in Sulphur Springs, Texas, where RWE also operates Bright Arrow, a 300 MW solar and 100 MW/200 MWh storage project announced earlier in 2024. Construction of the Cartwheel project is expected to be completed in the summer of 2025.
Once operational, the two projects should provide energy storage capacity to support the stability and resilience of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) grid, especially as the state continues to deal with record-breaking peak power demand during extreme heat events.