Ørsted (renewable energy company) has announced that Old 300 Storage, a 250 megawatt, 500 megawatt-hour battery energy storage system located in Needville, Texas, has reached commercial operations and is fully integrated into the ERCOT grid.

The project marks the Danish renewable energy company's 12th project in Texas and adds to its 6-gigawatt portfolio of operating onshore energy assets across the United States.

A Major Addition to the Texas Grid

The Old 300 Storage project represents one of the more significant battery energy storage deployments to come online in Texas in recent years. Rated at 250 MW with a storage capacity of 500 megawatt-hours, the system is designed to provide power during periods when grid supply is tightest, offering Texas grid operators an additional resource to call upon as electricity demand continues to climb.

Melissa Peterson, President of Ørsted Americas Onshore, pointed to the project's practical significance for ERCOT. "Battery energy storage has played a large role in providing much-needed power to ERCOT in times of tight supply and demand margins," Peterson said.

"Achieving commercial operations at our Old 300 Storage project will have tangible benefits, such as strengthening grid reliability by providing additional resources to Texas grid operators and allowing for more diverse and localized energy options as electricity demand continues to grow."

The project is operated independently from its neighbor on the same site, the 430 MW Old 300 Solar facility, which has been delivering power to roughly 80,000 homes and businesses in Texas since 2024 and was recognized as one of the largest solar projects to come online in the United States that year.

While the two projects are co-located, the storage system functions as a standalone asset rather than serving solely as backup capacity for the solar installation.

Tesla Megapacks Sourced from California Facility

Ørsted selected Tesla as the battery energy storage supplier for the project, procuring the company's Megapack units for deployment at the Needville site.

The Megapacks were manufactured at Tesla's Megafactory in Lathrop, California, which the company describes as the largest industrial energy storage manufacturing facility in the United States. Ørsted framed the procurement decision as consistent with its stated commitment to supporting American companies.

Tesla's Megapack technology is designed specifically for utility-scale applications and has been deployed across Texas, throughout the broader United States, and in more than 65 countries worldwide. The units are described as meeting stringent global codes and safety standards.

Safety preparation ahead of the project's launch extended beyond technical specifications. Ørsted and Tesla worked proactively with the Needville Fire Department to provide education on the latest battery technology and emergency response protocols, reflecting a growing industry practice as large-scale battery installations become more common in communities across the country.

Economic Impact on Fort Bend County

The combined Old 300 Solar and Old 300 Storage projects are expected to generate approximately USD 110 million in property tax revenue over time, with those funds directed toward local infrastructure, schools, and emergency services in Fort Bend County. The financial contribution underscores what Ørsted has characterized as a partnership model with local communities, a framing the company also applies to its broader onshore operations across eight states.

Fort Bend County, located southwest of Houston, has become home to a growing cluster of energy infrastructure as Texas continues to attract large-scale power generation investment driven by surging electricity consumption tied to population growth, industrial expansion, and data center development.

Ørsted's Expanding Texas Footprint

Old 300 Storage is Ørsted's 12th project in Texas, a state where the company has established a significant presence across multiple energy technologies. The project contributes to Ørsted's Americas Onshore portfolio, which spans wind, solar, and battery storage capacity totaling more than 6 gigawatts in operation.

That onshore business is supported by a team of approximately 250 employees and serves utilities and corporate customers through long-term power purchase agreements.

The company's move deeper into battery storage reflects broader trends across the American energy sector, where grid operators and developers are increasingly pairing solar installations with storage capacity to address the intermittency challenges that come with renewable generation.

In Texas, where ERCOT operates as an isolated grid with limited interconnections to neighboring systems, the availability of fast-responding storage resources carries particular operational significance during peak demand periods.

Ørsted has noted that recent grid stress events have demonstrated the value of energy storage in reducing the need for conservation alerts when demand peaks.

Old 300 Storage's ability to dispatch power independently of weather conditions or time of day positions it as a resource that grid operators can call upon at short notice, complementing the output profile of the adjacent solar project.

Multi-Technology Approach to Grid Reliability

Ørsted officials described the combination of the Old 300 Solar and Old 300 Storage projects as an example of a multi-technology approach to meeting the challenge of rising energy demand.

The pairing of a large-scale solar installation with a substantial battery storage system on a single site reflects a development strategy that a growing number of independent power producers are pursuing across the United States as utilities seek more flexible generation resources.

With the commercial launch of Old 300 Storage now complete, Ørsted's Americas Onshore business continues its expansion across the southern and central United States, building on a Texas presence that now spans 12 individual projects operating under the ERCOT framework.

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