Georgia Power BESS Reaches Commercial Operation

Georgia Power’s first grid-connected battery energy storage system (BESS), the 65 MW Mossy Branch Battery Facility, has reached commercial operation. 

The facility was approved by the Georgia Public Service Commission as part of Georgia Power’s 2019 Integrated Resource Plan and is a standalone storage unit that connects with and charges directly from the grid. 

“We know our customers depend on us to make the investments in our state’s power grid needed to deliver reliable energy to their homes and businesses around the clock,” says Kim Greene, chairman, president and CEO of Georgia Power. 

“Battery energy storage is an example of a new technology that will make our grid more reliable and resilient every day, and especially during extreme weather events such as Hurricane Helene or Winter Storm Elliott. The Mossy Branch facility is an incredibly valuable addition to our grid and commercial operation of this site is a significant milestone in our continued work with the Georgia PSC to evolve and enhance Georgia’s power grid.”

The company worked with Wärtsilä to provide the EPC services for the Mossy Branch facility. The project utilizes the GEMS Digital Energy Platform, Wärtsilä’s energy management system, to manage the facility and provide secure operations, and is built with Wärtsilä’s Quantum, a modular energy storage system. 

Georgia Power is also developing the 265 MW McGrau Ford Phase I BESS project in Cherokee County. This project was approved in the 2022 IRP, and Georgia Power expects it to enter service by the end of 2026.