Giant Battery Storage Facility Under Construction in Southwest Riverside County

One of the largest battery storage facilities in the nation is nearing completion on the site of a former natural gas-fired power plant in Menifee in southwest Riverside County.

When all phases are complete next year, the facility will be able to store enough power to keep 680,000 homes supplied for up to four hours.

Houston-based Calpine, which is building the Nova Power Bank on 43 acres near Interstate 15 and State Route 74, hosted lunch Thursday for 100 workers on the project.

“Calpine is at the forefront of electric generation infrastructure development in California and nationwide. Investments in enhancing our energy infrastructure are pivotal for achieving the dual objectives of grid dependability and climate sustainability,” said Alex Makler, Calpine senior vice president for the West.

“California’s ambitious goals require a resilient and diverse workforce to drive the progression of our state’s clean energy vision,” Makler added. “Calpine is proud to collaborate with the Menifee community and our trade labor partners, ensuring the launch of this cutting-edge project.”

The project is being built in five phases, with the first completed in the summer. Southern California Edison, Peninsula Clean Energy, and San Diego Gas & Electric will use the energy storage and discharge capabilities at Nova.

Battery units like the one in Menifee store excess energy in times of high supply and low customer demand to release during times of high customer demand, such as hot summer evenings or colder winter nights. This helps maintain grid reliability, rate stability, and avoid service disruptions throughout the region.

Across California, Calpine has more than 2,000 megawatts of battery storage in development.