Titanium plant goes green with new solar microgrid and battery storage

Along the Ohio River, Berkshire Hathaway Energy (BHE) Renewables is building what it says is the world’s largest solar-and-storage microgrid.

The microgrid, located on a 2,000-acre former aluminum plant in Ravenswood, West Virginia, will power a new titanium rolling mill currently under construction for Titanium Metals (TIMET), one of the world’s largest titanium suppliers.

The $500 million investment in microgrid and manufacturing will enable production of products for aerospace, defense, industrial and medical applications.

“The renewable solar microgrid system will be one of the first of its kind in the country,” said Vic Sprouse, project manager for BHE Renewables.

Ecological production process

In its metallic form, titanium is highly desirable for its corrosion resistance and high strength-to-weight ratio. However, the U.S. Geological Survey reports that 95% of titanium is processed into titanium dioxide and used as a white pigment in paints, paper, and plastics.

Titanium production is an energy-intensive and carbon-intensive process due to the high temperatures required to heat and separate the materials. Therefore, using renewable energy at the TIMET plant will make the process more sustainable.

The Ravenswood microgrid is expected to provide 70% of the facility’s estimated annual energy load, said Dan Winters, vice president of communications and public relations for BHE Renewables. The remaining load will be supplied by the local utility grid.

BHE Renewables will own and operate the microgrid, supplying power directly to the TIMET plant under a power purchase agreement.

Construction work on the solar installation is underway

The company recently began preparatory work to install the facility, which will ultimately have a capacity of 106 MW.

“We’ll start grading it soon, get it nice and flat,” Sprouse said. “And then we’ll start putting in the solar panels,” he added.

The microgrid will also include a 50-MW long-term battery energy storage system (BESS). BHE Renewables will use lithium iron phosphate battery technology in the BESS, which has a longer lifespan, requires little maintenance and is less susceptible to thermal runaway than other battery chemistries.

The construction and commissioning of the solar systems and batteries will be carried out in stages, in parallel with the expansion of the TIMET plant.

When the new facility begins operations in early 2025, the microgrid will provide about 18 MW of solar energy, Winters said.

“Our goal is to match TIMET’s schedule,” Sprouse added. “The amount of energy we provide them over the next three years will grow as their needs grow, and then we’ll meet those needs.”

BHE Renewables and Precision Castparts, of which TIMET is a subsidiary, are owned by Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett’s concern.