Utah public power utility Heber Light & Power and Wheeler Machinery recently held a ribbon cutting for a 1 megawatt/3 megawatt-hour battery storage facility that will be used to support the operation of Heber Light & Power’s Lake Creek Hydro power plant and the corresponding distribution circuit.
The lithium ion battery is one of the first installations of its kind to be used by a public power utility in the state of Utah, the utility said.
“This has been at least a five-year project in the making,” said Jason Norlen, General Manager of Heber Light & Power. “It’s taken some patience -- because this battery technology is new, there’s been supply chain issues, and a host of other things,” he went on to say.
Norlen said the storage technology “will allow us to shift the peak on this circuit and will bolster the circuit’s strength.” When Lake Creek Hydro goes offline, the battery will help regulate voltage.
The battery can provide 1 MW of power for approximately two and one-quarter hours. At the end of testing, Heber Light & Power will have the option to purchase the battery.
