California-based esVolta has won a contract to install a 15-MW/60-MWh energy storage facility for a community choice aggregator in Southern California.

The lithium-ion battery will be deployed in the city of Santa Paula, Ventura County, esVolta said on Wednesday. Its client is California Choice Energy Authority (CalChoice) -- a hybrid joint powers authority that unites five community choice aggregations.

esVolta’s task under the deal will be to develop, construct and operate the so-called Black Walnut energy storage facility. The particular project was picked by CalChoice to provide resource adequacy, energy and ancillary services to the electric grid. The system is planned to go live by June 2022.

“Both the current pandemic and the planned power outages over the last several months demonstrate the need to be prepared for any disaster that may arise,” said R Rex Parris, chair of Cal Choice, adding that grid resiliency is “absolutely vital” to those preparations.

esVolta says it has around 575 MWh of energy storage capacity either in operation, under construction, or under development, as well as a pipeline of 2,000 MWh of development-stage projects.