*Issued on Thursday in observance of Juneteenth* This week's awards: Long-Duration Energy Storage (LDES) Demonstrations Program's Pumped Thermal Energy Storage in Alaska Railbelt (POLAR)
Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations
June 20, 2024
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*Issued on Thursday in observance of Juneteenth*
On Wednesdays, OCED will announce the latest projects that have successfully completed award negotiations. OCED will only issue an Award Wednesday notification on weeks when an award has been finalized.
AWARD ANNOUNCEMENTS
Long-Duration Energy Storage (LDES) Demonstrations Program
Pumped Thermal Energy Storage in Alaska Railbelt (POLAR)
OCED awarded the LDES POLAR project, led by Westinghouse Electric Company, LLC (WEC) and in collaboration with Echogen Power Systems, with nearly $5.5 million (of the total project federal cost share of up to $50 million) in federal funding to begin Phase 1 of its project plan to design and build a Pumped Thermal Energy Storage (PTES) system with a 1200 MWh capacity, capable of a minimum continuous output of 50 MW for 24 hours at Healy Power Plant in Healy, Alaska.
The power from the POLAR project will fill a critical gap in electricity generation for the region, as one of the coal-fired generation units from the power plant is slated to retire.
During Phase 1, which is expected to last 18-24 months, WEC and the project team will conduct planning activities related to budgeting, permitting, procurement, community and labor engagement, partnership development, and workforce planning.
View the project factsheet and Community Benefits Commitments summary here. Learn more about engagement opportunities here.
