The Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority on July 9 announced the commissioning of the Woodward Energy Storage project, a new 40-megawatt, four-hour battery energy storage facility designed to enhance OMPA’s power supply to its 43 municipal members.
Located in Woodward County, the system was developed in collaboration with a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, and is OMPA’s first grid-scale energy storage asset.
This battery energy storage system is co-located with an existing wind facility from which OMPA has been a long-term power purchaser. It shares interconnection infrastructure with the wind facility.
While the system is capable of charging from both the grid and nearby wind facility during periods of surplus, its primary value lies in its ability to quickly discharge stored energy when demand peaks – enhancing grid flexibility, resilience and affordability for OMPA’s municipal members, OMPA noted.
“The Woodward Energy Storage project marks a major milestone in OMPA’s efforts to modernize our power supply portfolio and continue to provide our members with reliable and affordable energy solutions,” said David Osburn, General Manager of OMPA.
The battery energy storage system is designed to respond rapidly to fluctuations in grid demand, allowing OMPA to better manage costs and maintain service continuity. By strengthening the ability to shift energy use more effectively across hours of the day, this project supports OMPA’s long-term commitment to reliability and sustainability.
In addition to boosting grid performance, the Woodward Energy Storage project is expected to generate more than $8.8 million in local tax revenue over its lifetime, providing long-term support for public services and economic development in Woodward County.
The project builds on OMPA’s diversified power supply portfolio, which includes coal, natural gas, hydro, landfill gas, wind, solar and now battery energy storage.
These diversification efforts reflect OMPA’s commitment to delivering reliable, cost-effective energy solutions to its 43 member cities while investing in the infrastructure needed to support a more resilient and sustainable grid, it noted.
OMPA is a not-for-profit organization, established in Title 11, the Municipal Code of the Oklahoma statutes.
OMPA was created for the purpose of providing an adequate, reliable and affordable supply of electrical power and energy to Oklahoma’s municipally owned electric systems. OMPA is a consumer-owned public power entity and is guided by its vision and mission statements.
