Tesla building 100-Megawatt battery park in Angleton to provide power when needed
ANGLETON, Texas - After the Big Freeze revealed weaknesses in the Texas power-grid, Tesla appears ready to offer some help with a unique project, in Angleton.
Bloomberg first reported the project, calling it a 'secret' Tesla project to build a massive battery park that would plug into the state's power needs.
If it's a secret, it's a well-known one in Angleton.
From above, the facility reveals 20 rectangular rows of covered boxes in a wooded area, on the city's west side. When complete, those boxes will hold 100-Megawatts worth of battery power. It would be enough to temporarily power 20,000 homes.
The project is being built by Tesla-subsidiary Gambit Energy Storage.
When proposed, Tesla was never part of the discussion, but neighbors who've been watching construction for months, say they're well aware of what's going on.
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"They sent out letters and they gave us the option to go to city hall and discuss it; ask questions; even dispute anything, if we needed to," says Tiffanie White, "I think it's pretty cool that we'll have that as a back-up if our power ever did go out."
Developers first approached the city, about the project, a year and a half ago. Once concerns about noise, drainage, and aesthetics were addressed, Angleton leaders say they were enthusiastic about the sales pitch.
"It was more a selling point for summer, not winter," says Mayor Jason Perez. "If there was a huge demand for power, they could 'flip a switch', feed the grid, get us through the hump, turn it back off, recharge it and go back to normal. That's what was sold to us, and we thought 'Why not?"
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Tesla is not responding to inquiries about the Angleton project, and there's no immediate indication on what the company gets out of the deal or how it may be compensated for power that it provides.
Meantime, for the city, Mayor Perez says it's worth about a quarter-million dollars in school and property taxes, each year.