City Committee unanimously approves $100 million long-term contracts for renewable energy and battery storage – now Pasadena

The City Utilities Commission unanimously approved two long-term energy contracts – a $47.1 million contract for renewable wind energy and a $55.3 million contract for battery energy storage.

The 10-year wind contract with CalWind Resources Inc., which begins May 1, 2025, is for a 20-megawatt wind turbine called the Wind Resource II Project located in Tehachapi, California. The agreement sets an expected annual energy supply of 60,000 megawatt hours. CalWind Resources Inc. is a small wind farm operation company with two locations in Tehachapi with a total capacity of approximately 30 MW.

“CalWind will deliver clean energy to approximately 10,000 homes annually,” Kelly Nguyen, deputy general manager of Pasadena Water and Power, told the City Utilities Commission at its June 11 meeting. The Commission also approved granting this contract an exemption from the competitive selection process.

The committee also unanimously approved a 15-year, $55.3 million contract with Glenarm BESS LLC, a special purpose vehicle formed by EPC Energy Inc., for a 25-MW battery energy storage system. The battery storage system will provide four hours of energy storage, allowing Pasadena Water and Power to store 100 MWh per day. It will be located within the Glenarm power plant complex.

According to Nguyen, the proposed battery energy storage system would connect to the nearby Glenarm receiving station and would be designed, built, owned and operated by Glenarm BESS LLC on Pasadena’s behalf.

Nguyen said both contracts will help meet Pasadena’s goal of sourcing 100% of its electricity from zero-emission sources by 2030.

Additionally, Nguyen noted that the battery storage agreement supports Pasadena Water and Power’s 2023 Integrated Resource Plan, which recommends installing significant solar and battery resources in Pasadena. It will ensure local reliability when the city experiences transmission line failures and power consumption restrictions.

Members of the City Utilities Commission praised Pasadena’s water and power contracts. “I really congratulate the Pasadena Water and Power team. It’s really, really hard work,” said chairwoman Felicia Williams.

Public commentator Sam Berndt praised the contracts, stating, “Today’s show is truly amazing and I applaud Pasadena Water and Power for bringing this contract forward for consideration. Not only is it a zero-carbon resource, but it also provides a diversity of resources that is useful in providing reliable and dependable electricity throughout the day. This, combined with the ongoing battery contract, represents almost 10% of our resource adequacy needs…”

Councilmembers Williams, Justin Jones and Jason Lyon voted to approve both contracts. Council member Tyron Hampton was absent from the meeting.