Albany, NY and The Woodlands, TX – July 8, 2021 – Key Capture Energy, LLC (“KCE”), a leading developer, owner and operator of standalone energy storage projects in the United States, today announced that it has partnered with Talen Energy Corporation ("Talen") to install a 20 megawatt (MW) battery storage project adjacent to Talen’s H.A. Wagner (Baltimore, Md.) coal plant, with the potential to increase the battery project size in the future. The H.A. Wagner generation facility is among the coal-fired facilities that Talen announced will cease burning coal by the end of 2025 as part of its transformation to a sustainable, Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)-focused future. Construction of the new battery facility is expected to start later this year with a targeted online date in 2022.
Jeff Bishop, Co-founder and CEO of Key Capture Energy, said, "We are extremely pleased for this partnership with Talen to develop and construct the first battery storage demonstration project adjacent to the H.A. Wagner generation facility." He continued, "The U.S. has more than 200,000 MW of coal fired generation in operation today; with market and political forces impacting these generators, and increasing amounts of intermittent wind and solar being constructed across the country, there will continue to be a need for capacity that has historically been provided to the U.S. electric grid by coal, natural gas, hydro and nuclear. We are excited to be working on the front lines and to be participating in this incredible transition to a clean energy future, as Talen continues to generate value and invest in the communities where they operate.”
As part of its strategic transformation to a renewable energy and digital infrastructure growth platform, Talen is developing one gigawatt of stand-alone battery storage projects across its U.S. footprint. The battery projects, which range from 20 to approximately 300 megawatts across three states, are expected to be developed over the next three to five years utilizing Talen-owned land and legacy fossil generation and transmission infrastructure. In addition to generating value, and advancing Talen's transformation, these projects serve as another tangible expression of Talen's Force for Good ESG strategy, providing new opportunities for employees and communities as fossil plants transition to run on cleaner fuels.
"Our partnership with KCE on the H.A. Wagner battery storage demonstration project is instrumental to helping Talen advance our clean energy transition and continue to contribute to grid stability and resiliency, which is key for those within Baltimore's BGE transmission zone. We believe that this initial project will provide a model that can be replicated throughout our national footprint. We look forward to working with KCE as we continue to convert legacy fossil plants and shift to the batteries of tomorrow,"
said Talen's President, Alex Hernandez.
About Key Capture Energy
As more large-scale renewable energy projects come online and intermittent resources are added to the energy mix, it is becoming increasingly important to keep the electrical grid stable. Headquartered in Albany, New York, Key Capture Energy is meeting this need by identifying, developing, constructing, and operating energy storage solutions to foster greater deployment of renewable energy, create a more stable electric grid, and provide value to all ratepayers. Key Capture Energy is targeting to have more than 1 GW of battery storage projects in operation in New York, New England, and Texas by the close of 2023, all under a variety of offtake contracts. Learn more at keycaptureenergy.com.
About Talen Energy Corporation
Talen is one of the largest competitive power generation and infrastructure companies in North America. The company owns and/or controls approximately 13,000 megawatts of generating capacity in wholesale U.S. power markets, principally in the Mid-Atlantic, Texas and Montana. Talen is developing a large-scale portfolio of renewable energy, battery storage, and digital infrastructure assets across its expansive footprint. For more information, visit https://www.talenenergy.com/esgfocused-future/.