CPS Energy Completes FlexPOWER Bundle Initiative with Solar, Firming and Storage Additions
Last iteration of FlexPOWER Bundle secures approximately 650 MW
February 9, 2023 (SAN ANTONIO) – CPS Energy, the largest municipally owned electric and natural gas utility in the United States, has reached agreements with three companies, closing out the utility’s FlexPOWER Bundle initiative stemming from the RFP that was launched in 2020. In total, the FlexPOWER Bundle will deliver 580 megawatts (MW) of solar, 50 MW of storage, and 500 MW of natural gas firming capacity. The utility will issue a new and separate RFP in the first quarter of 2023 to procure up to an additional 320 MW of solar, to include community solar proposals, to add to its generation portfolio.
Further details regarding these recent agreements are:
Firming Capacity (approximately 500 MW): Calpine will provide a total of approximately 500 MW of firming capacity located in Guadalupe County at the Guadalupe Energy Center. Firming capacity with natural gas is dispatchable, controllable, and reliable energy that can be utilized when the sun is not shining, or the wind is not blowing. The Calpine agreement will make power available to CPS Energy in the Spring of 2023.
Solar Capacity (100 MW): Ashtrom Renewable Energy, in collaboration with OnPeak Power, will provide 100 MW of the El Patrimonio solar project, which will be located in Bexar County. The power purchase agreement is a 20-year contract with an anticipated commercial operation date of May 2025. Additionally, as part of the agreement, Ashtrom Renewable Energy will provide community benefits, including the contribution of funds towards CPS Energy student scholarships, as well as on-site field day mentorship to local students during the construction of the facility in Bexar County. Ashtrom Renewable Energy will also grant funds towards the construction of an outdoor classroom that can be used for field trip instruction.
Storage Capacity (50 MW): Eolian L.P. (Eolian) will provide CPS Energy the exclusive right to dispatch a 50 MW, 2-hour duration energy storage project located in Bexar County. This location, combined with the operating flexibility offered by energy storage, will further improve CPS Energy system resiliency as well as customer reliability. The agreement is a 20-year contract with an anticipated commercial operation date of December 2024.