On December 1, 2021, Gem A-CAES LLC, a subsidiary of Toronto-based Hydrostor, filed an Application for Certification with the California Energy Commission (CEC) to develop a 500 MW (4,000 MWh) energy storage facility near Rosamond, Kern County in southern California.[1] The recent filing follows Hydrostor’s November 2021 announcement and filing for the Pecho Energy Storage Center, a 3.2 GWh A-CAES project located in San Luis Obispo County, California. The project, called the Gem Energy Storage Center, will use Hydrostor’s Advanced Compressed Air Energy Storage (“A-CAES”) solution, which is a long-duration energy storage technology that can deliver hundreds of megawatts and 4 to 24+ hours of storage. The project is expected to have a capital investment of $975 million, and the company expects to bring it online as early as 2026. During the four years of construction, the project is expected to provide a peak of 700 jobs. Once operational, Gem will create 30 to 40 full-time jobs.

The project is expected to interconnect at either the Whirlwind Substation in Kern County or the planned Rosamond Switching Station. According to the press release, Gem is “strategically located to provide enhanced utilization of both existing and future renewable energy resources serving California and the High Desert.” The project will also play a vital role in helping meet California’s future energy and reliability needs, significantly reducing the frequency of large-scale blackouts.

[1] https://www.hydrostor.ca/hydrostor-files-second-application-for-certification-for-500-mw-x-8-hour-4000-mwh-gem-energy-storage-center/