Top 10 BESS Projects, with Form Energy’s 30, 000 MWh deal and 12, 500 MWh BYD contract (2024-2026)

The global grid-scale Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) market has reached a definitive economic tipping point, transitioning from a niche, policy-dependent sector to a mainstream asset class that now consistently outcompetes natural gas peaker plants. The sheer scale of recently announced projects, including a 30, 000 MWh long-duration system from Form Energy and a 12, 500 MWh contract secured by BYD in Saudi Arabia, signals a fundamental shift in grid architecture. The dominant trend for 2025 and beyond is the deployment of BESS as core infrastructure, driven by the need to replace retiring fossil fuel plants and meet the voracious, 24/7 power demands of AI and data centers.

1. Xcel Energy Iron-Air BESS

Company: Form Energy, Xcel Energy
Installation Capacity: 30, 000 MWh
Applications: Long-duration storage to replace a retiring coal plant, providing multi-day grid reliability.
Source: Long-duration energy storage deployments rose 49% in 2025

2. Saudi Arabia Grid-Scale BESS

Company: BYD, Saudi Electricity Company (SEC)
Installation Capacity: 12, 500 MWh
Applications: National grid stabilization, integration of renewables, and enhancing energy security.
Source: BYD & SEC: World’s Largest Grid-Scale Energy Storage Project

3. Oasis de Atacama

Company: Grenergy
Installation Capacity: 11, 000 MWh
Applications: Part of a massive solar-plus-storage initiative to provide continuous renewable power.
Source: Top 5 Largest Upcoming BESS Projects in the World 2026

4. Texas Data Center BESS

Company: Unnamed Texas developer
Installation Capacity: 10, 000 MWh
Applications: Providing reliable, clean power to support the high energy demands of data centers.
Source: Three massive grid-scale battery projects move ahead in Texas …

5. SECI ISTS-Connected BESS

Company: Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI)
Installation Capacity: 4, 000 MWh
Applications: Inter-State Transmission System (ISTS) connected storage to balance the national grid.
Source: Techno-economics of grid connected Battery Energy Storage …

6. EDF North Warwickshire BESS

Company: BW ESS, EDF
Installation Capacity: 1, 243 MWh
Applications: Providing grid balancing and ancillary services under a long-term offtake contract.
Source: News – BW ESS

7. Nighthawk Energy Storage

Company: Arevon Energy
Installation Capacity: 1, 200 MWh
Applications: Grid support in California, utilizing lithium iron phosphate (LFP) technology.
Source: Two New Projects Add 1.35 GW of Solar-Battery Capacity – ENR

8. Eshi BESS

Company: Eku Energy
Installation Capacity: 600 MWh
Applications: Secured by a 20-year capacity market contract to provide long-term grid stability in Japan.
Source: Attracting infrastructure capital into large-scale battery storage: Eku …

9. White Tank Battery Project

Company: Canadian Solar (e-STORAGE)
Installation Capacity: 576 MWh (DC)
Applications: Utility-scale energy storage for the Arizona grid using modular battery enclosures.
Source: Canadian Solar’s e-STORAGE to Deliver 576 MWh DC of Energy …

10. Peregrine Energy Storage

Company: Arevon Energy
Installation Capacity: 400 MWh
Applications: Commercially operational asset providing peak capacity and ancillary services in San Diego.
Source: Arevon Surpasses $10 Billion in Operating Assets, Expanding Its …

Top 10 BESS Projects by Capacity

BESS Applications, Replacing Coal and Powering Data Centers

The diversity of applications demonstrates that BESS is maturing beyond ancillary services into a cornerstone of grid infrastructure. The most significant trend is the deployment of batteries as direct replacements for fossil fuel capacity. Xcel Energy’s 30, 000 MWh iron-air project in Minnesota is designed to replace a retiring coal plant, providing multi-day reliability that was previously the exclusive domain of thermal generation. Simultaneously, the 10, 000 MWh project in Texas and Total Energies’ 1 GW PPA with Google highlight a new, powerful demand driver: data centers. This sector’s need for 24/7 clean, reliable power is creating a dedicated market for giga-scale batteries, often co-located with renewable generation.

Grid Stability is a Core BESS Application

This chart shows how a sudden generation loss destabilizes grid frequency, visually demonstrating the need for BESS applications like grid reliability and balancing services.

(Source: Distilled)

US and Global BESS, 4 of Top 10 Projects in America

While the United States is a clear leader in large-scale deployment—hosting four of the top ten projects in Minnesota, Texas, California, and Arizona—the geographic spread of these mega-projects underscores a global trend. The 12, 500 MWh BYD project in Saudi Arabia and Grenergy’s 11, 000 MWh Oasis de Atacama project in Chile are prime examples of oil-rich nations and emerging economies leveraging BESS to integrate massive solar resources and stabilize their grids. In Asia, India’s 4, 000 MWh tender and Japan’s 600 MWh project with a 20-year capacity contract demonstrate that mature and developing energy markets alike are embracing storage as a critical tool for energy transition and security. This global adoption confirms that the economic and technical case for BESS is universally compelling.

US BESS Capacity Concentrated in Key States

This chart directly supports the text’s claim of US leadership by showing that capacity is heavily concentrated in California and Texas, two states mentioned for their large-scale projects.

(Source: Distilled)

100-Hour Duration, Form Energy’s Iron-Air BESS Signals Shift

These installations reveal a market at a technological crossroads. The majority of current large-scale projects, such as Arevon Energy’s Nighthawk and Peregrine systems, rely on mature and bankable 4-hour lithium-ion technology, primarily LFP chemistry. However, the top-ranked project by capacity—Form Energy’s 30, 000 MWh system—is a 100-hour duration iron-air battery. This is not a pilot but a utility-scale deployment intended for baseload-like replacement of a coal plant. It signals that the industry is actively moving to solve the next major challenge: multi-day energy shifting. While lithium-ion has won the short-duration battle against gas peakers, emerging Long-Duration Energy Storage (LDES) technologies like iron-air are now being commercially deployed to ensure grid reliability during extended periods of low renewable generation.

Longer Duration Storage Lowers Per-kWh Cost

As the article discusses a market shift toward longer-duration batteries, this chart perfectly illustrates the underlying economics, showing how per-kWh costs decrease as storage hours increase.

(Source: Annual Technology Baseline – National Laboratory of the Rockies)

BESS Supply Chain, Securing Components from BYD and CATL

The critical strategic action for developers and utilities in 2026 is no longer proving the economic case for BESS, but securing a position in a tightening global supply chain. If the explosive demand from data centers and utility-scale renewable integration continues on its current trajectory, then access to battery cells, power electronics, and transformers will become the primary gating factor for project execution. The market is shifting from a debate over cost to a race for components.

• The June 2025 signing of the 12, 500 MWh project in Saudi Arabia gives BYD a massive, strategic contract, highlighting the central role of major manufacturers in enabling giga-scale deployments.
• The US is projected to add over 22 GW of battery capacity between 2025 and 2027, creating immense pressure on the supply chain and grid interconnection queues.
• The deal for Canadian Solar to supply its Sol Bank enclosures to a major project in Arizona shows how integrated solar and storage manufacturers are leveraging their positions to capture the booming US market.

BESS Growth Far Outpaces Official Projections

This chart visualizes the ‘explosive demand’ described in the text, showing how actual and planned storage growth is dramatically outpacing forecasts, which explains the resulting supply chain crunch.

(Source: Reddit)

The questions your competitors are already asking

This report covers one angle of the economic tipping point for grid-scale battery storage. The questions that matter most depend on your work.

• Which companies are gaining or losing ground in the grid-scale BESS market?
• How does BESS compare to gas peakers on a dollar-per-MWh basis in 2025?
• What is the outlook for BESS deployment to power AI and data centers by 2026?
• Which utilities are adopting long-duration storage to replace retiring coal plants?

This report does not answer these. Enki Brief Pro does.

Your question, your angle, your framework. SWOT, PESTL, scenario modelling. The same niche depth, built around the decision your work actually depends on.

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