The "Energy Engineering Project of the Year" honor was awarded for the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in Fairbanks, Alaska, owned by the Golden Valley Electric Association. The battery was energized in August.

"We are pleased to receive this kind of recognition for this high-end power transmission component," said Peter Smits, head of ABB's power technologies division. "The BESS will stabilize the local grid and reduce the number of outages for Golden Valley's customers by 65 percent."

The BESS will produce up to 27 megawatts of power for 15 minutes in the event of an outage, allowing the utility enough time to bring backup generation on-line. For a shorter time, the BESS can produce up to 46 megawatts.

The Platts Global Energy Awards program is now in its fifth year. There were nearly 200 nominations from every continent and every field of energy in this year's competition. The Energy Engineering Project of the Year award recognizes innovation, practicality, and commitment to safety and the environment.

Publication date: 01/12/2004