Key Takeaways
- Ørsted’s Old 300 Storage, a 250 MW / 500 MWh battery system in Needville, Texas, has reached commercial operations on the ERCOT grid.
- It is the company’s 12th project in Texas and adds to a 6 GW portfolio of operating U.S. onshore energy projects.
- The storage system is co-located with the 430 MW Old 300 Solar project, which has served about 80,000 homes and businesses since 2024.
- Combined, the solar and storage projects will add about $110 million in property tax revenue for local services.
- The batteries were supplied by Tesla, using Megapacks made in Lathrop, California.
Ørsted Energizes Old 300 Storage
Ørsted has announced that Old 300 Storage, a 250 MW / 500 MWh battery energy storage system in Needville, Texas, has reached commercial operations and is fully integrated into the ERCOT grid. The project marks a further expansion into battery storage for the Danish renewable energy company and adds to its 6 GW portfolio of operating U.S. onshore projects.
“Battery energy storage has played a large role in providing much needed power to ERCOT in times of tight supply and demand margins,” said Melissa Peterson, President of Ørsted Americas Onshore. “Achieving commercial operations at our Old 300 Storage project will have tangible benefits, such as strengthening grid reliability and allowing for more diverse and localized energy options as electricity demand continues to grow.”
Co-Located Solar and Storage
Old 300 Storage operates independently from the co-located 430 MW Old 300 Solar project, which has powered roughly 80,000 homes and businesses since 2024 and was one of the largest solar projects to come online in the U.S. that year. Together, the two projects are expected to inject about $110 million in property tax revenue to support local infrastructure, schools and emergency services.
Tesla-Supplied Batteries
Ørsted procured the storage system from Tesla, using Megapacks manufactured at Tesla’s Lathrop, California facility, which the company describes as the largest industrial energy storage manufacturing plant in the United States. Ørsted and Tesla also worked with the Needville Fire Department on product technology and safety response protocols.
Ørsted’s Growing Texas Footprint
Old 300 Storage is Ørsted’s 12th project in Texas. Its Americas Onshore business now spans more than 6 gigawatts of wind, solar and battery storage in operation across eight states, making the company one of the largest multi-technology independent power producers in the United States.
