Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners and its portfolio company Primergy Solar have commenced commercial operations at the Gemini hybrid park in Nevada. This facility, situated in the Mojave Desert, is now the largest co-located solar plus battery energy storage system (BESS) in the United States, with a combined capacity of up to 690 megawatts (MW) of solar power and 380 MW of battery storage.
The Gemini park, installed on 6,500 acres (2,630 hectares) of federal land in Clark County, features 1.8 million photovoltaic (PV) panels. It is projected to generate sufficient power to meet nearly 10% of Nevada's peak power demand, serving communities including Las Vegas.
The project is 49% owned by Dutch pension asset manager APG, which acquired the stake for its client ABP in 2022. The remaining 51% is held by Quinbrook's Valley of Fire Fund, with Blackstone Strategic Partners and Ares Management Infrastructure Secondaries funds as principal investors.
The solar array is connected to a 1,400-megawatt-hour (MWh) battery system with a four-hour discharge capacity. The technology is provided by China's Contemporary Amperex Technology.
David Scaysbrook, co-founder and managing partner of Quinbrook, commented, “Gemini creates a blueprint for holistic and innovative clean energy development at mega scale.”
The Gemini project was financed with $1.9 billion (EUR 1.75 billion) in debt and tax equity.