Key Capture Energy Starts Construction on a Large-Scale Battery Storage Project Near Buffalo

NYSERDA Support Enables Projects Essential for New York’s Zero-Emission Targets

Albany, NY – Nov. 29, 2021 – Key Capture Energy, LLC (Key Capture Energy), a leading U.S. energy storage independent power producer, has started construction of KCE NY 6, a 20 megawatt (MW) energy storage project located outside of Buffalo. This project was enabled by New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s (NYSERDA) Bulk Energy Storage Market Bridge Incentive (MBI) program, supporting New York’s Climate Leadership and Protection Act mandate of 1,500 MW of storage by 2025 and 3,000 MW by 2030.

KCE NY 6 will create local economic stimulus, new jobs, and ongoing payments to the Hamburg community, which could support the purchase of new emergency vehicles. KCE NY 6 is expected to pause construction during the Buffalo winter and be online in summer 2022.  

Jeff Bishop, Co-founder and CEO of Key Capture Energy, said, “New York’s goal of 100% zero-emission electricity provides a clear roadmap for companies like ours to invest in communities across the state and to provide the capacity necessary for New York’s resilient, efficient, sustainable, and affordable electric grid. As an Albany-based company we are proud to break ground on our third energy storage project in New York in support of the state’s energy capacity needs and public policy goals. We thank NYSERDA for their essential efforts to accelerate the deployment of energy storage projects.” 

Black & McDonald, with offices in East Syracuse, NY, was selected as the balance of plant (BOP) contractor and is providing turnkey engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) services. KCE NY 6 is the second energy storage project that Black & McDonald has served as an EPC partner on behalf of Key Capture Energy.  

Phillip O’Connor, Division Manager, Northeast US – Utilities, Black & McDonald, said, “Black & McDonald is very excited to be participating again as an EPC partner to Key Capture Energy on an energy storage project in New York. Our Northeast US business unit currently has several power generation and high voltage utility projects in Western New York. The KCE NY 6 project is enabling our firm to make further inroads in the Buffalo, New York region, to develop new relationships in the region and to get one step closer in establishing a permanent presence in the Buffalo, New York marketplace as a full-service multi-trade utility contractor and facilities service provider.” 

Sungrow Americas (Sungrow) is providing the fully integrated two-hour battery system for the new battery storage project. Specifically, Sungrow is providing the cells, enclosures, cabling, transformers, power converter system (PCS), and all software and controls systems, as well as maintenance services on KCE NY 6.   

Dr. William Acker, Executive Director of New York Battery and Energy Storage Technology Consortium, said, “Energy storage is essential to achieving New York’s climate goals and growing a clean energy economy. Key Capture Energy’s latest project demonstrates how energy storage is modernizing New York’s electric grid, creating jobs, improving grid resiliency, supporting renewable energy integration and providing benefits to local communities.” 

Headquartered in Albany, New York, Key Capture Energy has 274 MW of energy storage projects in construction and operations across the US. Key Capture Energy’s KCE NY 1 energy storage project had the distinction of being the first project to be awarded under NYSERDA’s Market Bridge Incentive program, having started operations in 2019. In New York, Key Capture Energy has nearly 1,000 MW of energy storage projects in development from Buffalo to the North Fork of Long Island.   

About Key Capture Energy 

As more large-scale renewable energy projects come online and intermittent resources are added to the energy mix, it is becoming increasingly important to keep the electrical grid stable.  Headquartered in Albany, New York, Key Capture Energy is meeting this need by identifying, developing, constructing, and operating energy storage solutions to foster greater deployment of renewable energy, create a more stable electric grid, and provide value to all ratepayers. Key Capture Energy is targeting to have more than 1 gigawatt (GW) of battery storage projects in operation in New York, New England, the Mid-Atlantic and Texas by the close of 2023, under a variety of offtake contracts. Learn more at keycaptureenergy.com.