CSI Solar secures EPC contract for 1.4 GWh battery project in USA

Canadian Solar Inc's majority-owned subsidiary CSI Solar Co. Ltd. has closed a 350 MW / 1400 MWh contract to provide the fully integrated battery storage system, EPC (engineering, procurement, and construction), and long-term maintenance service to the Crimson stand-alone battery storage project in Riverside County, California.

The Crimson storage project is 80% owned by Axium Infrastructure and 20% owned by Recurrent Energy, Canadian Solar's wholly-owned subsidiary. Crimson holds two approximately 15-year stand-alone storage contracts with local utilities Southern California Edison (SCE) and Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), which are part of the California Public Utilities Commission's (CPUC) reliability procurements.

CSI Solar's integrated solution includes a fully bankable, lithium iron phosphate-based technology battery system. Equipment delivery and construction are expected to start soon and the project is expected to reach commercial operation by the summer of 2022.

In addition, CSI Solar will support the battery storage system with 15-year service agreements as well as capacity and performance guarantees, ensuring system output, safety, and reliability. The long-term service agreement includes the operation and maintenance of the battery systems as well as their future augmentation services. The project will be augmented with planned additional installed battery capacity of approximately 300 MWh to be installed on regular frequencies over the 15-year term of the long-term service contract.