Black Hills to Commission 200MWh Energy Storage Project in the U.S. in 2027

en.Wedoany.com Reported - U.S. utility company Black Hills Energy has announced that it will build a 50MW/200MWh battery energy storage system (BESS), Pueblo Battery Resource, at the Pueblo Airport Generating Station (PAGS) in Colorado. The project was announced on September 4 and approved by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) in 2025 as part of Black Hills' 2022 Clean Energy Plan filing.

Black Hills conducts a planning process every four years to forecast the resource needs required to provide customers with reliable, low-cost power and to meet Colorado's emissions reduction requirements. The company is preparing to submit its 2026 Clean Energy Plan in early autumn of this year.

Pueblo Battery Resource will charge using surplus renewable energy generated by Black Hills' other renewable resources. The project is expected to begin supplying power to customers in southern Colorado by the end of 2027 and is estimated to generate approximately US$30.1 million in economic benefits through construction, operation, and maintenance.

Project partners include Linxon, a global engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) company, and Cloudbreak Energy. Cloudbreak Energy is a national developer and independent power producer (IPP) of distributed resources and utility-scale solar and energy storage projects. In addition to developing the project, Cloudbreak Energy will oversee construction of the BESS; Linxon will deliver the balance of plant (BOP) infrastructure required to support the deployment of 50 Tesla Megapack battery storage units, including related electrical and civil works.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis has set a statewide goal of achieving 100% renewable energy by 2040. The state says renewable energy is now the lowest-cost source of electricity, and that more than 80% of its electricity will come from renewable sources by 2030.

Under Senate Bill 19-236, Black Hills must reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 80% from 2005 levels by 2030. In 2022, the company submitted a preferred version of its Clean Energy Plan that would achieve a 90% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by adding approximately 450MW of renewable energy resources, including BESS.

According to information on Black Hills' website, the plan approved by the CPUC in 2025 adds 250MW of renewable energy resources, achieving a 78% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

Black Hills' website lists nine separate BESS projects, along with bidder names and contract terms. It is not yet clear whether Pueblo Battery Resource is among them; each of these projects is listed at 50MW, for a combined capacity of 450MW.

In May, developer and operator GridStor acquired the 199MW/796MWh Birdseye BESS project in Adams County, Colorado, from developer Accelergen. Birdseye is scheduled to enter commercial operation by the end of 2028, with construction potentially beginning as early as 2027.