CenterPoint Energy A Part of New Battery Energy Storage System to Support Houston's Power Grid

CenterPoint Energy along with Irby Construction Company and SMT Energy have begun work on a new Battery Energy Storage System in Houston. 

A ground-breaking ceremony recently took place for SMT Houston IV. It is a 160 megawatt / 320 megawatt-hour Battery Energy Storage System or BESS.

The project is meant to address grid-scale energy storage bringing reliability and resiliency to the Texas power grid, according to a news release. 

"Once operational, SMT Houston IV will be capable of delivering fast-response power during peak demand periods, supporting grid stability and resiliency, and renewable integration," the announcement says. 

SMT Energy is the project owner and developer. CenterPoint Energy serves as the joining utility group, integrating the system into Houston’s  electrical network.

Construction on the project begins this month and is expected to be complete in early July. 

"Projects like this demonstrate how collaboration and forward-thinking infrastructure come together to power a more resilient energy future," said Tony Gardner, SVP and chief customer officer with CenterPoint Energy, in a statement. "At CenterPoint, we recently completed nearly 90% of our overall grid resiliency improvements. This is one more action we are taking to build a more resilient and reliable grid to better serve our customers."

Irby Construction Company in 2019 began construction on the Manatee BESS site with Florida Power and Light. At the time, it was the world’s largest BESS project. Since then Irby, which is based in Richland, Mississippi, has built more than 30 BESS sites. 

Battery storage projects are an industry that has taken off in the Houston area, according to 2024 reporting by the Houston Chronicle. 

These project developers are drawn to Texas due to its bounty of land that is cost efficient and the shorter time window to connect to the grid compared to other markets. The demand for power is surging as well as more people move to the Houston region. 

Some other battery storage projects in the Houston area include Jupiter Power, Base Power, Apex Clean Energy, Powin and others.