Lydian Energy, an Excelsior Energy Capital-backed developer, owner, and operator of energy infrastructure projects, announced that its Faraday battery energy storage system (BESS) in Utah County, Utah, has reached commercial operation.

The 150 MW/600 MWh project began operating and is contracted via a Schedule 34 contract in support of Meta's Eagle Mountain data center operations.

Project Details and Contract Structure

Faraday BESS is a standalone, four-hour lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery system that delivers 600 MWh of contracted storage capacity to PacifiCorp under a long-term energy storage agreement, supporting grid reliability in Utah.

The project is situated on an approximately eight-acre site adjacent to the 525 MW Faraday solar facility and shares that facility's substation and interconnection, allowing Lydian to add storage using existing infrastructure.

Lydian took Faraday BESS from mobilization to commercial operation in approximately 10 months. The project is expected to pay approximately USD 9 million in property tax over the course of the project life.

Coordination and Timeline

Kim Smith, Chief Operating Officer of Lydian, said the project demonstrates what a mature platform can deliver. "Bringing it online on an extremely tight timeline took close coordination across our own team and our supply chain, construction, and financing partners, from acquisition through commissioning," Smith said.

She also noted that when a wildfire threatened the area in June, the team put safety first while keeping the project on track. According to Smith, Faraday BESS enhances PacifiCorp's reliable, contracted capacity for Utah customers.

Meta's Role in Supporting the Project

The project is contracted in support of Meta's Eagle Mountain data center operations. Amanda Yang, Director of Clean and Renewable Energy at Meta, emphasized the role of storage in grid resilience.

"Storage is an essential part of a resilient grid. It gives utilities the flexibility to respond when conditions change, from extreme weather to unexpected outages," Yang said.

"Our investments in new energy resources are helping projects like Faraday BESS reach the grid, and that's a role we want to keep playing as we support our Eagle Mountain Data Center."

Backer Perspective

Chris Moakley, Managing Partner at Excelsior Energy Capital and Chair of the Board of Lydian Energy, said the firm backed Lydian because it recognized that a disciplined, execution-driven team could build a leading energy infrastructure platform.

"As demand for reliable, domestically produced power continues to grow, storage projects like Faraday BESS will play a larger role in keeping the grid dependable," Moakley said.

Platform Approach and Future Expansion

The completion of Faraday BESS draws on Lydian's integrated platform, which spans development, capital markets, and project delivery. Lydian is also developing Faraday BESS 2 at the Utah site, which would add up to 375 MW/1,500 MWh of storage with a targeted in-service date of the fourth quarter of 2028.

Based in Washington, DC, Lydian is an independent energy infrastructure company that develops, finances, constructs, owns, and operates utility-scale power projects across North America in partnership with landowners, communities, and capital providers.

The company currently owns a 6.0 GW portfolio of projects and has partnered with numerous developers for acquisitions and co-development arrangements, leveraging its development, EPC, and financing capabilities to bring mature projects through commercial operation.

Excelsior Energy Capital, founded in 2017 and based in Excelsior, Minnesota, is a private fund investment manager focused on investing in the transformation of North America's energy infrastructure.

The firm closed its flagship fund, Excelsior Renewable Energy Investment Fund I, at USD 504 million in 2020, and closed its second fund, Excelsior Renewable Energy Investment Fund II, at just over USD 1 billion in 2025.

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