EDF Renewables North America has signed a 20-year Energy Storage Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Arizona Public Service (APS) for the development of the Beehive Battery Energy Storage System in Peoria, Arizona. This stand-alone battery energy storage system (BESS), with a capacity of 250 MW and a four-hour duration, is expected to begin construction in 2025 and reach commercial operation in 2026. The Beehive facility will have a total energy output of 1,000 MWh.
The Beehive BESS is designed to store excess power from the grid during periods of high renewable energy generation, then release it during peak demand times. This flexibility will assist APS in balancing energy supply, especially as renewable penetration in Arizona’s energy mix grows. The project will include lithium-ion battery enclosures, inverters, transformers, and a substation.
Dai Owen, Senior Vice President of Origination and Power Marketing at EDF Renewables, emphasized the importance of storage in enhancing renewable deployment, especially for utilities like APS aiming to expand clean energy resources. “Storage is an essential complement to our core renewable generation business,” Owen said, adding that Beehive will support APS’s goal of delivering reliable and affordable clean energy to customers.
APS’s Vice President of Resource Management, Brian Cole, highlighted the role of storage solutions in achieving a balanced energy mix, saying that projects like Beehive enable APS to integrate variable energy sources, including solar, and maintain reliability for its customers.
EDF Renewables, with over 35 years in renewable development, has successfully developed 18 gigawatts of wind, solar, and storage projects across North America.
