esVolta Selected by California Choice Energy Authority for 60 MWh Energy Storage Project in Southern California

esVolta, a developer and owner of utility-scale energy storage projects across North America, has been selected to deliver a new Lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery energy storage system for California Choice Energy Authority (CalChoice), a hybrid joint powers authority made up of five operational community choice aggregations (CCAs) in the cities of Lancaster, Pico Rivera, Rancho Mirage, San Jacinto, and the Town of Apple Valley, California. Under the new contract, esVolta will develop, build, and operate the Black Walnut Energy Storage project, a 15 MW / 60 MWh facility to be built in Santa Paula, California. The project is slated to be in service by June 2022.

“The award of these contracts for our Black Walnut project is an important milestone for esVolta,” said Randolph Mann, president of esVolta. “We are extremely pleased to be able to provide cost effective energy storage capacity for these leading CCAs and help them advance their mission to deliver affordable power to homeowners and businesses across their vibrant southern California communities.”

The Black Walnut project was selected by CalChoice to provide incremental resource adequacy to help ensure sufficient capacity to meet anticipated load growth for each member CCA. The project will also provide an array of energy and ancillary services to the electric grid, facilitating California’s transition to a cleaner and more resilient electric system.

“We established CalChoice in 2017 and it’s been our goal since then to make a battery energy storage system available for our associate members,” said Jason Caudle, Executive Director. “Our team is thrilled to be embarking on this project with the experts at esVolta.”

esVolta currently has approximately 575 MWh of energy storage projects in operation, under construction, or under development pursuant to executed utility and CCA off-take contracts, in addition to a pipeline of approximately 2,000 MWh of additional development stage projects.

“Both the current pandemic and the planned power outages over the last several months demonstrate the need to be prepared for any disaster that may arise,” said R. Rex Parris, Chair of Cal Choice and Mayor of the City of Lancaster. “In today’s energy-intensive climate, grid resiliency is absolutely vital to these preparations. Through our partnership with esVolta, we are becoming more resilient than ever before.”

About esVolta, LP

esVolta is a developer, owner, and operator of utility-scale energy storage projects across North America. The company’s portfolio of operational plus contracted projects totals approximately 575 MWh of storage capacity, and the firm is developing a large pipeline of future storage projects. esVolta is supported by a long-term capital commitment from RBP Partners LLC and a strategic procurement arrangement with Powin Energy Corporation. Additional information about esVolta is available at www.esVolta.com.

About CalChoice

The City of Lancaster and the City of San Jacinto worked in cooperation to create CalChoice, a joint powers authority (JPA) designed to help Southern California cities form and operate community choice aggregation (CCA) programs without having to sacrifice control or other benefits associated with a traditional JPA. By joining together, CalChoice members are able to cut costs through economies of scale. Current operational CalChoice members include Lancaster Choice Energy, Apple Valley Choice Energy, Pico Rivera Innovative Municipal Energy, San Jacinto Power and the Rancho Mirage Energy Authority. For more information, please visit:  https://californiachoiceenergyauthority.com/