Orange & Rockland and Key Capture Energy Begin Operations at O&R’s 1st Energy Storage Facility

Project’s Innovative Technology Enhances Orange & Rockland Service Reliability

POMONA, N.Y. April 20, 2021 – Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc. (O&R) and Key Capture Energy (KCE), an Albany-based, independent developer of utility-scale battery storage projects, today marked a significant milestone in the growth of the clean energy industry in New York’s Hudson Valley by commissioning O&R’s first new battery storage project in Rockland County.

O&R President and CEO Robert Sanchez said, “This battery storage project is the first of its kind in our service area and represents a significant, positive, innovative achievement in O&R’s tireless efforts to provide cleaner, more sustainable, local power while minimizing its costs to our customers.”

The battery storage project is part of O&R’s Pomona Non-Wires Alternative (NWA) Project, a program designed to help O&R maintain reliable service for customers. This pioneering program stems from O&R’s concerted effort to reduce costs to customers and incorporate new technologies to maintain efficient, resilient, reliable and sustainable electric operations. KCE was selected by O&R to plan, design, install and operate O&R’s new battery storage project in Rockland County. KCE selected as its subcontractor Powin, a global leader in the design and manufacture of safe and scalable battery storage solutions, to provide the fully integrated battery energy storage system including cells, enclosures, cabling, transformers, inverters, and all software and controls systems.

The 3MW-battery is owned by O&R and was built on O&R property adjacent to O&R’s Ladentown electric substation in Pomona. KCE will provide operations and maintenance support for the battery over the next five years. The battery resembles five tractor-trailer-sized units, lined up, side-by-side. The cost of the project is $7.4 million.

Sanchez added, “The battery project opens the door to a brighter, cleaner, more sustainable energy future for our customers. It’s a great accomplishment and we thank our partner Key Capture Energy in helping make this important project a reality.”

Jeff Bishop, CEO of Key Capture Energy, stated, “We appreciate the visionary and innovative nature of O&R’s Distributed Energy Resources Program, under which this energy storage project was made possible, and greatly enjoyed collaborating with O&R’s ‘Utility of the Future’ group to bring the project to fruition in Rockland County. We look forward to partnering again with O&R, and other utilities throughout the state, to continue the deployment of energy storage to enhance grid reliability and meet New York’s climate goals.”

The new battery project will connect to the O&R system through O&R’s overhead distribution lines. The project will allow O&R to delay building costly new infrastructure that’s designed to accommodate energy use at its peak.

In addition, as wholesale and retail energy markets develop and mature, these batteries will be able to sell power into those markets to earn additional revenue, further reducing the cost of the overall battery deployment.

New energy products and services, such as O&R’s battery storage project, provide the region with environmental benefits, while also creating economic opportunity. The battery storage project supports New York State’s initiative to install 3,000 megawatts of energy storage throughout the state by 2030. Under the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) passed in 2018, New York State is mandated to achieve 70 percent renewable energy by 2030 and 100 percent zero-emission electricity by 2040.

About Orange and Rockland

Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc. (O&R), a wholly owned subsidiary of Consolidated Edison, Inc., one of the nation’s largest investor-owned energy companies, is a regulated utility. O&R provides electric service to approximately 300,000 customers in southeastern New York State (where its franchise name is Orange & Rockland) and northern New Jersey (where it’s Rockland Electric Company) and natural gas service to approximately 130,000 customers in New York.  For financial, operations and customer service information, visit oru.com. For energy efficiency information, visit www.oru.com/save.

About Key Capture Energy

Key Capture Energy (KCE) identifies, develops, constructs and operates energy storage solutions to foster greater deployment of renewable energy, create a more stable electric grid, and provide value to all ratepayers.  By comprehensively studying the grid for geographically and electrically beneficial market opportunities and researching and selecting the best technology solutions to meet the needs of an evolving energy landscape, KCE efficiently constructs and effectively operates large-scale energy storage projects today that will transition us to the grid of tomorrow. For more information about KCE, visit www.keycaptureenergy.com.   

About Powin

Powin is a global leader in the design and manufacture of safe and scalable battery energy storage solutions. For nearly the past decade, Powin has worked to advance its patented battery management technology and develop market leading product offerings. Headquartered in Tualatin, Oregon, Powin has built over 600 MWh of systems, supporting 54 projects in 10 states and 8 countries. Powin has a contracted pipeline to supply over 4,000 MWh of energy storage systems globally over the next five years. Powin’s journey is just beginning – if you are interested in learning more, please visit www.powin.com.    

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O&R President and CEO Robert Sanchez, left, discusses the installation of O&R’s new battery storage facility in Pomona with the project’s engineering and construction manager Matthew Rariden of Key Capture Energy, the project’s builder.

O&R’s President and CEO Robert Sanchez, left, joins a final walk-through of O&R’s new battery storage facility in Pomona. In addition to Sanchez, the group includes, from left: O&R V.P. Operations Orville Cocking, O&R Project Manager MD Sakib and COO and Co-Founder of Key Capture Energy Dan Fitzgerald.