en.Wedoany.com Reported - Salt River Project (SRP), an Arizona public power utility, and developer Aypa Power have jointly announced that the Pediment Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), located in Mesa's Elliot Road Technology Corridor, is now operational and serving customers. The 250 MW/1,000 MWh project can power up to 56,250 homes in the Phoenix metropolitan area for four hours.
SRP is addressing sustained load growth driven by population increases and expanding commercial demand. The utility expects its system capacity to more than double over the next decade, with battery storage playing a more central role in meeting peak demand and maintaining system reliability. Bobby Olsen, SRP's Assistant General Manager and Chief Power System Executive, stated that the addition of battery storage resources provides SRP with the flexibility and capacity to reliably serve its customers.
The Pediment project, acquired by Aypa Power from Eolian in 2024, is the first of two projects contracted with SRP. The project created over 200 construction jobs and is expected to generate more than $16 million in direct economic impact, including $14 million in property tax revenue for Maricopa County over the first 20 years of operation. Aypa Power is also developing another 250 MW/2,000 MWh lithium-ion battery storage system contracted with SRP, expected to be operational by December 2028. Together, the two projects represent 500 MW and 3,000 MWh of storage capacity on SRP's system.
Helion, a fusion energy company headquartered in Washington, has recently achieved several milestones. It became the first company globally to obtain the regulatory permits required for a fusion power plant, receiving a Radioactive Materials License (RML) and a Radioactive Air Emissions License (RAEL) from the Washington State Department of Health. These permits confirm that Helion's facilities, personnel, and safety plans at the Orion facility in Malaga, Washington, meet the safety standards for fusion operations.
In early June, Helion secured $465 million in Series G funding, led by Thrive Capital. Other new investors include Alta Park Capital, Anti Fund, BoxGroup, Lux Capital, Peak XV Partners, and Ford Motor Company Executive Chairman Bill Ford. Existing investors include Capricorn Technology Impact Funds, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Mithril Capital, Dustin Moskovitz through the Good Ventures Foundation, SoftBank Vision Fund 2, and a university endowment fund. To date, Helion has attracted $1.5 billion in investment. CEO David Kirtley stated that fusion is no longer a future concept and that this funding accelerates its ability to deliver on its promises.
The Series G round follows multiple industry-first milestones achieved by Helion's seventh-generation Polaris prototype. Polaris became the first privately funded fusion machine to operate using deuterium-tritium fuel and broke the company's own plasma temperature record, exceeding 150 million degrees Celsius. Construction of the company's first fusion power plant, Orion, is ongoing, with assembly and office building work completed.
Independent power producer MN8 Energy has begun commercial operations at two utility-scale solar projects with a combined capacity of 260 MW AC, under long-term Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) with Microsoft. Long Point Solar (120 MW) in Brazoria County, Texas, and American Beech (140 MW) in Halifax County, North Carolina, are both fully operational. Long Point supplies power to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) Houston load zone, while American Beech provides electricity to PJM Interconnection.
Moe Hanifi, Senior Vice President and Head of Revenue and Commodities at MN8 Energy, stated that as digital infrastructure expands across the United States, energy solutions must also scale accordingly. Each project created over 300 construction jobs and nearly a dozen permanent positions. MN8 operates approximately 4 GW of operational and under-construction solar capacity, 1.5 GWh of battery storage, and over 40 high-power electric vehicle charging stations across 10 states.
Pure offshore wind installer Cadeler has completed the installation of all 100 wind turbines at the 1.4 GW Sofia offshore wind farm in the UK North Sea. Developed by RWE, the wind farm is located off the northeast coast of the UK and is one of the largest single offshore wind farms in the world. Cadeler executed all transport and installation activities for the 100 Siemens Gamesa SG 14-222 offshore wind turbines, using its Wind Peak vessel for installation. Wind Peak was delivered in August 2024 and features one of the largest crane capacities in the industry. Once completed, the Sofia wind farm will meet the annual electricity needs of nearly 1.2 million UK homes.
The 250 MW Napanee BESS, a joint venture between Atura Power (a subsidiary of Ontario Power Generation) and Ameresco Canada, has been commissioned on budget and ahead of schedule. The battery storage system is one of the largest operating systems in Canada, capable of storing and distributing up to 250 MW of power for up to four hours during peak demand periods, enough to power approximately 250,000 homes. The $600 million project was commissioned approximately five weeks ahead of schedule. Selected through the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO)'s accelerated long-term procurement process, the project supports Ontario's long-term plan to ensure reliable, affordable, and clean electricity.
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