Top 10 BESS Backed Data Center Projects in the US in 2025

Data Center BESS: How Battery Storage is Redefining Power Infrastructure for AI and Hyperscale Computing

Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) have fundamentally evolved from a backup power source into a critical “path to power” solution, enabling data centers to bypass multi-year grid interconnection queues and accelerate their market entry. This strategic shift is driven by the exponential energy demand from artificial intelligence and hyperscale computing. Projects like Greenflash Infrastructure’s development of a 10 GWh BESS portfolio in Texas and Aligned Data Centers’ use of a 31 MW BESS to come online years ahead of schedule exemplify this trend, which is attracting major investment, including a $1 billion funding round for the Stargate Data Center Expansion. The dominant theme for 2025 is the programmatic deployment of large-scale BESS to solve the immediate power delivery crisis, making it an essential, non-negotiable component of modern data center infrastructure. The following projects represent the top 10 BESS-backed data center initiatives in the United States, ranked by their power capacity and strategic impact.

Top 10 BESS-Backed Data Center Projects for 2025

1. Stargate Data Center Expansion

Company: SB Energy, Open AI, Soft Bank
Capacity: Not specified, but implied to be in the hundreds of MW scale to support a 10 GW computing capacity.
Application: Providing grid stability and renewable firming for a massive data center buildout, pacing power generation with phased construction.
Source: SB Energy secures $1 billion from Open AI and Soft Bank for …

2. Clean Arc Data Centers Virginia Campus Expansion

Company: Clean Arc Data Centers
Capacity: Not specified, but a substantial component required for a 1 GW data center load.
Application: Ensuring power reliability, managing peak demand, and facilitating grid interconnection for a gigawatt-scale campus in a grid-constrained region.
Source: Largest Data Centers around the world with over 1 GW …

3. Project Soho

Company: Greenflash Infrastructure
Capacity: 400 MW / 800 MWh
Application: A standalone BESS project developed specifically to supply power to multiple data centers within the ERCOT grid.
Source: Texas developer secures 10 GWh+ of BESS capacity to …

4. Greenwater BESS Project

Company: Bright Night, Cordelio Power
Capacity: 200 MW / 800 MWh
Application: Serving fast-growing data center hubs in the Pacific Northwest, supporting regional expansion with large-scale energy storage.
Source: 200 MW / 800 MWh Battery Energy Storage System in …

5. Cyrus One Fort Worth Campus

Company: Cyrus One, Eolian
Capacity: Utility-scale, not specified.
Application: Modernizing and upgrading an existing utility-scale BESS to enable the rapid deployment of a 200 MW data center campus.
Source: Cyrus One and Eolian Partner to Enable Rapid Deployment …

6. Other Greenflash Data Center Projects

Company: Greenflash Infrastructure
Capacity: >1, 150 MW / >9, 200 MWh (Portfolio balance)
Application: A programmatic portfolio of BESS capacity explicitly secured to provide reliable power to multiple data centers across Texas.
Source: Texas developer secures 10 GWh+ of BESS capacity to …

7. PROPWR Midwest Hyperscaler Project

Company: PROPWR
Capacity: Not specified, part of a hybrid system.
Application: Delivering 60 MW of reliable power to a leading hyperscaler data center using hybrid energy storage technology.
Source: PROPWR Signs Long-Term 60 Megawatt Power Contract for …

8. Aligned Pacific Northwest Campus

Company: Aligned Data Centers, Calibrant Energy
Capacity: 31 MW / 62 MWh
Application: Purpose-built to accelerate the interconnection of a large-scale data center campus, bringing it online years ahead of the traditional utility timeline.
Source: Aligned to Deploy Data Center Battery Storage Project

9. Meta Mesa Data Center Support

Company: EDP Renewables North America, Meta
Capacity: 10 MW
Application: Paired with a solar park as part of a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) to supply Meta’s data center with renewable power and meet corporate sustainability goals.
Source: EDP Renewables North America Achieves Milestone in …

10. Wyoming Data Center Flow Battery Pilot

Company: XL Batteries
Capacity: 0.333 MW (333 k W)
Application: A pilot project to test an organic flow battery, exploring alternative, long-duration energy storage chemistries for data center backup needs.
Source: Data centers could bring alternative battery types into the …

Table: 2025 BESS-Backed Data Center Projects

From Backup Power to Strategic Enabler: The New Role of BESS

The applications for Data Center BESS have diversified significantly, signaling a major shift in industry adoption. BESS is no longer just a replacement for uninterruptible power supplies (UPS); it is now a proactive tool for solving core business challenges. The clearest example is its use as a “bridge to grid” solution. The Aligned Pacific Northwest Campus project uses a 31 MW BESS to manage its grid impact, allowing it to begin operations years before the traditional interconnection process would conclude. This “speed-to-market” application is a game-changer in a competitive landscape. Furthermore, the emergence of specialized developers like Greenflash Infrastructure, which has secured over 10 GWh of BESS capacity specifically for data center clients, indicates a maturing service model. Instead of building their own energy assets, data center operators can now procure BESS as a service, de-risking development and accelerating deployment.

BESS Enables New Grid Arbitrage Strategies

This chart illustrates how BESS has evolved beyond simple backup, enabling proactive strategies like price arbitrage, a key theme of this section.

(Source: SOCOMEC USA)

Texas and the Pacific Northwest: BESS-for-Data-Center Hotspots

Geographically, Texas and the Pacific Northwest have emerged as epicenters for BESS-backed data center development. Texas, particularly within the ERCOT grid, is a dominant player, hosting massive projects like Project Soho (400 MW / 800 MWh) and the broader Greenflash portfolio totaling over 9, 200 MWh. This concentration is driven by a combination of factors: a deregulated energy market that allows for innovative power solutions, intense data center growth, and inherent grid volatility that makes onsite storage a critical asset for reliability. The Pacific Northwest is a close second, with projects like the Greenwater BESS (200 MW / 800 MWh) in Washington strategically located to serve the region’s expanding data center alley. This trend is fueled by the need to integrate the area’s vast renewable resources while providing the firm, 24/7 power that data centers demand. Meanwhile, grid-constrained markets like Northern Virginia, home to the 1 GW Clean Arc campus, are now seeing BESS as a prerequisite for any new large-scale development.

Map Shows Data Center Hotspots in US

This map validates the section’s claim by visually identifying Texas and the Pacific Northwest as major data center demand hubs.

(Source: EnkiAI)

Lithium-Ion Dominates, But Alternative Chemistries Are on the Horizon

These projects reveal a clear picture of technology maturity. Large-scale Lithium-Ion BESS is the dominant, fully commercialized, and scaling technology. The deployment of multi-hundred-megawatt systems by companies like Greenflash and Bright Night, with storage durations of 4 hours (e.g., 200 MW / 800 MWh), confirms its status as the industry’s workhorse. The market’s maturity is also evident in innovative deployment strategies, such as the Cyrus One partnership to retrofit an existing BESS, demonstrating the technology’s adaptability. However, the industry is already looking toward the future. The Wyoming Data Center Flow Battery Pilot, though small at 333 k W, is strategically significant. It represents the first steps in exploring alternative, long-duration energy storage chemistries like the organic flow battery from XL Batteries. This signals an awareness that while lithium-ion is ideal for current applications, future AI workloads may require the extended backup and different performance profiles that flow batteries and other emerging technologies could provide.

Lithium-Ion to Dominate BESS Market Growth

This chart reinforces the section’s core point, showing that the vast majority of BESS market growth is driven by dominant Lithium-ion technology.

(Source: Grand View Research)

The Future is Integrated: Rise of the BESS-Powered ‘Power Foundry’

The strategic deployment of BESS in 2025 signals a clear future direction: the rise of the integrated, behind-the-meter “power foundry.” Data center campuses will increasingly function as self-contained microgrids, combining hundreds of megawatts of BESS with dedicated renewable or natural gas generation. The strategy outlined for the Stargate project, which involves pacing power generation with data center construction, is a blueprint for this model. As AI training creates highly variable power loads, BESS will become indispensable for load-smoothing and frequency regulation to protect both the data center and the external grid, with analysts forecasting 20 GW of BESS capacity will be needed for data centers alone. This has bifurcated the competitive landscape. Specialized energy providers like Calibrant Energy and Greenflash Infrastructure are emerging as leaders by offering turnkey BESS solutions, while hyperscalers like Meta and partners like Open AI drive demand by directly funding projects and signing large-scale PPAs that mandate storage.

AI to Nearly Triple Data Center Power Demand

This forecast shows the immense, AI-driven power demand that necessitates the integrated ‘power foundry’ model discussed in the section.

(Source: EnkiAI)

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) suddenly so critical for data centers?

BESS have evolved from simple backup power to a strategic ‘path to power’ solution. Due to the massive energy demands of AI and hyperscale computing, grid interconnection can take multiple years. BESS allows data centers to bypass these long queues and start operations much faster, providing a crucial speed-to-market advantage, as demonstrated by Aligned Data Centers coming online years ahead of schedule.

What type of battery technology is being used for these projects?

The dominant technology for current large-scale projects is Lithium-Ion, which is considered fully commercialized and is being deployed in multi-hundred-megawatt systems. However, the industry is also exploring alternatives for future needs, such as the organic flow battery being tested in the Wyoming Data Center Pilot for long-duration storage applications.

Which US regions are the hotspots for BESS-backed data centers?

Texas (within the ERCOT grid) and the Pacific Northwest are the primary epicenters. Texas is attractive due to its deregulated market and is home to massive projects like Greenflash Infrastructure’s 10 GWh portfolio. The Pacific Northwest is using large-scale BESS to support its growing data center alley and integrate renewable energy. Grid-constrained markets like Northern Virginia are also increasingly reliant on BESS.

Are data centers building their own BESS, or is there another model?

While some data centers may build their own assets, a major trend is the emergence of a ‘BESS-as-a-service’ model. Specialized developers like Greenflash Infrastructure and Calibrant Energy are securing large portfolios of BESS capacity specifically to sell power to data center clients. This allows data center operators to procure reliable power without the risk and time associated with developing their own energy infrastructure.

What is the significance of the Stargate Data Center project?

The Stargate project by SB Energy, Open AI, and Soft Bank is significant due to its massive scale and strategic vision. It’s designed to support a 10 GW computing capacity, backed by a $1 billion investment. It pioneers the concept of a ‘power foundry,’ where BESS is deeply integrated to provide grid stability and pace power generation with the phased construction of the data center, setting a blueprint for future AI infrastructure.

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