The NOI, filed 30 July 2024, is stage one of a seven-step procedure, typically taking one to two years and administered by the state regulator that integrates all permits, standards and requirements into one approval process for new energy-generating facilities in Oregon.
If the project is deemed suitable, the EFSC will grant Brookfield a Site Certificate, allowing for the construction and operation of its proposed Raceway Solar project located in Sherman County, Oregon (OR), US.
4GWh co-located BESS
Brookfield’s Raceway project will pair a 500MW/4,000MWh BESS with an up to 900MW solar farm across 8,782 acres of land approximately 0.75 miles east of the City of Grass Valley in Sherman County.
The project will interconnect to the local grid via a nearby transmission line owned by Portland, OR-headquartered utility Bonneville Power Administration (BPA).
Full application expected towards end of 2024
Within a NOI, applicants are required to provide basic details on the proposed facility and also begin to discuss potential impacts of the development during construction and operation.
Brookfield will disclose more detailed information on the project at the next stage of the EFSC review process when it lodges a full application, which the developer expects to submit towards the end of this year.
Brookfield expects to receive a Site Certificate for the project in the second quarter of 2026.
Oregon planners have 4.4GW of storage applications under review
Oregon’s EFSC currently has 5.125GW of energy storage capacity under its jurisdiction in the form of both standalone and co-located projects, with 56MW of this currently operational, 663MW approved but not yet operational, and just over 4.4GW still under review, according to the regulator’s monthly update document.
One of the largest projects currently under EFSC review is Savion’s Yellow Rosebush Energy Center that will pair a 800MW BESS with a 800MW solar farm occupying 8,075 acres of land across Wasco and Sherman counties in Oregon.
Savion, a wholly owned subsidiary of Shell New Energies, has submitted a NOI for the Yellow Rosebush project and is expected to submit a preliminary application for a Site Certificate by the end of the summer.
Brookfield Renewable: 200GW development pipeline
Headquartered in New York City, Brookfield Renewable US is part of Brookfield’s global renewables subsidiary, Brookfield Renewable Partners L.P. (BEP), which recently issued its financial results for the three- and six-month period ending 30 June 2024.
The first half of 2024 was a strong period for BEP in terms of energy storage milestones. It secured long-term storage capacity contracts totalling 400MW with the Ontario Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) selected as part of the Long-Term 1 Request for Proposals (LT1 RFP), as reported in Energy-Storage.News.
The two projects, Fitzroy and Tailroad BESS, are being developed through BEP’s Canadian operating business, Evolugen, in a joint development partnership with the Algonquins of
Pikwakanagan First Nation.
BEP claims to have a renewable development portfolio exceeding 200GW consisting of hydroelectric, wind, solar and storage facilities across the Americas, Europe and Asia.
Brookfield approaching US$1 trillion in assets under management
Brookfield Asset Management (BAM), which owns a 60% majority stake in BEM, also recently posted its financial results for the past quarter, reporting that it now has US$995 billion in assets under management (AUM).
The 6-K filing, submitted to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on 7 August 2024, highlighted recent commitments from the company including an agreement to acquire a majority stake in French independent power producer (IPP) Neoen, covered by Energy-Storage.News in May.
Through its wholly owned Shift Solar subsidiary, Neoen also secured a capacity contract in the recent Ontario IESO LT1 RFP covering 380MW from its Grey Owl Storage project located in the Municipality of Arran-Elderslie.