Energy company SMT Energy activates initial independent battery power storage initiative within Dallas city limits
In a significant stride for urban energy storage infrastructure, SMT Energy has energized SMT Dallas, a 10 MW / 15 MWh standalone battery energy storage system (BESS) in Dallas, Texas. This project, located in Oncor Electric Delivery Company territory, marks the first standalone BESS energized within the City of Dallas and is a catalyst for further investments in similar projects across ERCOT's metropolitan areas.
The SMT Dallas project plays a pivotal role in enhancing grid reliability and integrating renewable energy within ERCOT. As the grid integrates more intermittent resources like wind and solar, battery storage systems such as SMT Dallas help balance supply and demand by storing excess energy and dispatching it when needed. This contributes to increased grid flexibility and resource adequacy, as evidenced by ERCOT's recent resource adequacy reports.
The successful energization of SMT Dallas adds to SMT's growing merchant storage portfolio. Irby Construction, a leading provider of electric infrastructure solutions based in Richland, Mississippi, was involved in the construction of the project under a full-wrap Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contract. Irby Construction, a subsidiary of Quanta Services, brings over 75 years of experience in performing large and complex electric power infrastructure projects.
FlexGen's software solutions enable energy storage owners to deploy diverse power market strategies and integrate various generation forms. FlexGen's expertise spans decades in engineering, procurement, and software solutions. Their HybridOS energy management software integrates with any battery OEM and offers advanced analytics and AI-driven insights.
Jason Abiecunas, EVP of Business Development at FlexGen, stated that FlexGen is proud to support SMT Dallas with their integrated suite of solutions. The project will begin operations in July as a fully merchant project, supporting peak demand management and contributing to maintaining system reliability and resilience, particularly amid several generation units in ERCOT on extended outage.
SMT Energy is a U.S. based energy storage platform focused on the development, ownership, and operation of Battery Energy Storage Systems across competitive power markets. FlexGen has enabled over 10 GWh of energy storage systems and is trusted by major developers, utilities, government agencies, and industrial companies.
In summary, the SMT Dallas project strengthens ERCOT's grid by adding flexible, dispatchable energy storage capacity directly in an urban environment. This serves as a key enabler for the systemic growth of energy storage infrastructure in Texas's major metropolitan areas, demonstrating the maturity and viability of standalone battery storage solutions and fostering innovation and market confidence in ERCOT for further energy storage deployments.
