Lightshift Energy, a developer, owner and operator of battery energy storage projects across the U.S., and KeyBanc Capital Markets (KBCM), on Oct. 16 announced the close of a $75 million credit facility that will support Lightshift’s rapidly growing pipeline of energy storage projects across the East Coast.
KBCM is the corporate and investment banking arm of Cleveland based KeyCorp.
The flexible facility, which includes a term loan, construction-to-term loan and tax equity bridge loan, strengthens Lightshift’s ability to bring new projects online quickly and at scale, Lightshift and KBCM noted.
The financing backs six of Lightshift’s operational projects while also enabling the advancement of 10 projects currently in and nearing construction.
"It further lays the groundwork for another large wave of Lightshift’s project pipeline as the company transitions into a phase of significant growth. This comes at a time when the U.S. market is experiencing surging demand for energy storage and a rapidly expanding need for firm and fast capacity solutions amid load growth and electricity supply constraints," a news release noted.
The initial portfolio includes Lightshift’s project with GlobalFoundries in Vermont, which will deliver critical power services and significantly reduce electric transmission and capacity costs at their semiconductor manufacturing plant. The project will highlight the potential of co-located energy storage and, once operational in 2026, will be the largest battery project in Vermont.
KBCM served as sole lender.
The facility is structured to provide nimble, scalable capital as Lightshift’s utility and corporate partners work to meet growing power requirements and navigate cost challenges around transmission constraints and large load additions driven by data centers.
KBCM and Lightshift will look to expand the facility as Lightshift accelerates its distribution-level storage portfolio to serve surging demand for capacity.
“Energy storage is a cornerstone of grid modernization, and Lightshift’s innovative approach to energy storage aligns with the growing demand for flexible, scalable solutions,” said Gregory Berman, Managing Director, Investment Banking, Utilities, Power & Renewable Energy at KeyBanc Capital Markets. “We’re pleased to provide a financing structure that enables Lightshift to accelerate deployment across a diverse portfolio of projects and meet the evolving needs of utilities and large energy users.”
“This transaction marks a major milestone for the industry through project financing for a fleet of batteries across diverse regions and offtakers, all with the same operational objective, to provide firm capacity to the grid in the fastest most impactful way possible,” said Rory Jones, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Lightshift. “We are proud to partner with KeyBank as we tackle today’s most pressing grid challenges together.”
Lightshift is a utility-scale energy storage project developer, owner and operator headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. Founded in 2019, Lightshift is developing a diverse, multi-gigawatt pipeline of energy storage projects, located throughout the U.S.
With leading energy storage analytics, application design, finance, and development expertise, Lightshift deploys dynamic, multi-use energy storage projects that maximize value for utilities and other partners, while reinvesting directly into the communities where their projects are located.
KeyBanc Capital Markets is a leading corporate and investment bank providing capital markets and advisory solutions to dynamic companies capitalizing on opportunities in changing industries.
