FirstEnergy to Develop Norton - Analyst Blog

FirstEnergy Generation Corp., a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corporation (FE), has acquired the rights to develop the Norton Energy Storage Project - compressed air energy storage (CAES) facility in Norton, Ohio - from CAES Development Company, LLC. The transaction includes rights to a 600-acre underground cavern, formerly operated as a limestone mine, which is ideal for energy storage technology. 

FirstEnergy believes that the compressed-air technology at this site will enable the company to store energy at night, when electricity demand is less, and use it during the day when demand escalates. It is normally observed that many renewable energy sources, like wind, are irregular and do not produce power when there is a high demand. Given the energy storage aspects of this project, the company sees Norton Storage as a key component to its overall renewable energy strategy. 

FirstEnergy expects the project to create hundreds of construction jobs and additional green energy jobs. FirstEnergy is evaluating its options related to the project. The initial phase would involve installing two to four units capable of generating a minimum of 268 megawatts (MW) of electricity. With 9.6 million cubic meters of storage, the Norton Energy Storage Project has the potential of expanding to 2,700 MW of capacity. 

Currently, there are two commercial-scale compressed air electric generating facilities: a 110 MW plant in McIntosh, Alabama; and a 290 MW facility in Bremen, Germany. While there are other compressed-air projects under development, none is expected to be comparable in size and scope to the Norton facility. 

The Norton Energy Storage Project is part of FirstEnergy's overall environmental strategy, which includes continued investment in renewable and low-emitting energy resources. Compressed-air storage, when combined with renewable energy resources, provides for low-emitting power generation which is dispatched when customers need it. FirstEnergy currently has more than 800 MW of renewable capacity, including pumped-storage hydro and wind power. By the end of 2012, once the biomass project at the Burger Plant is complete, the company's renewable capacity is expected to be more than 1,000 MW.
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