State Officials join Pasadena Water and Power to Kickoff Construction of Glenarm Battery Energy Storage System

PASADENA, Calif.- Pasadena marked a key milestone toward its 100% carbon-free energy goal with an October 7 kickoff event for the upcoming construction of Glenarm Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). The event featured remarks from State Senator Sasha Renée Pérez, Assemblymember John Harabedian, Mayor Victor Gordo, Councilmember Jason Lyon, Interim City Manager Matthew E. Hawkesworth, and David Reyes, General Manager of Pasadena Water and Power (PWP), alongside PWP employees.

Photographs of the event can be found in the online album linked here.

The 25-megawatt, four-hour capacity lithium iron phosphate project is Pasadena's first utility-scale battery system, which will store carbon-free energy and discharge it during evening peak hours to support grid reliability. In June 2024, the Pasadena City Council approved the collaboration with Glenarm BESS, LLC, a Special Purpose Entity, for the design and future purchase of Glenarm BESS. The project has since earned support from the California Energy Commission for up to $9.66 million in Distributed Electricity Backup Assets (DEBA) Program funding. The DEBA Program supports cleaner, more efficient distributed energy assets, and Glenarm BESS advances these priorities by strengthening grid resilience for the City and the state. The battery project will be completed by mid-2027.

"The Glenarm BESS is a significant step forward in our commitment to delivering clean, reliable energy to our customers," said David Reyes, PWP General Manager. "As we continue to diversify our resource portfolio, PWP is leveraging new technologies to strengthen and expand the solar investments already serving our community. Innovative projects like the Glenarm BESS are essential to advancing our clean energy goals. I'd like to thank our partners and the PWP team for their leadership on this important and impactful project."

For more information about the Glenarm BESS and PWP's other innovative, clean power projects, visit PWPweb.com/GlenarmBESS.