Equinor's East Point Energy starts 200MWh Texas battery

East Point Energy has started commercial operations at its 100-megawatt, 200-megawatt-hour Citrus Flatts battery energy storage project in Harlingen, Texas. The company, owned by Norwegian energy firm Equinor, announced the project's completion on September 3.

This marks East Point's second operational battery storage facility in Texas. Its first was the 10MW/20MWh Sunset Ridge project, which began operations last year. Both the Citrus Flatts and Sunset Ridge projects received final investment approval from Equinor in 2024.

Project Strategy and Returns

East Point stated that both Texas projects would operate on a fully merchant basis. Optimisation services for the batteries are being provided by Equinor's trading arm, Danske Commodities. The company expected the real base project returns for these ventures to be at the higher end of Equinor's guided range for renewables, which is 4% to 8%.

With the start-up of Citrus Flatts, Equinor has now brought five battery energy storage systems into commercial operation over the past four years. The company said these projects demonstrate East Point's "progression from developer to independent power producer." This shift aligns with Equinor's broader strategy to capture value across the energy value chain.

Expansion Beyond Texas

Equinor's battery storage development is not confined to Texas. Construction has begun on its portfolio of projects in the PJM market in Virginia. That portfolio consists of four separate projects with a combined capacity of 80MW and 160MWh of energy storage. The company reports this portfolio is on track to reach commercial operation in early 2027.

Development has not been without setbacks. In 2025, East Point had to withdraw plans for a 116MW battery storage system in New York State. This followed a decision by officials from the Town of Carmel to place an indefinite ban on new utility-scale battery energy storage facilities. An East Point representative told Energy-Storage.news that the project was "removed from consideration for local approvals" in direct response to the local moratorium.

The Competitive Texas Market

Texas continues to be an active market for battery storage development, even as the number of operational assets grows and competition for revenue intensifies. The scale of new projects is increasing. Last month, Danish energy company Ørsted commissioned its 250MW/500MWh Old 300 battery storage project in Needville, Texas. That system is collocated with the 430MW Old 300 Solar photovoltaic plant.

The following table compares the two major Texas BESS projects mentioned in the source report.

East Point Energy was acquired by Equinor in 2022.