To deal with electric grid reliability worries, Tesla plans a Megapack project

Tesla seems to be making backup plans to manage anoter possible failure of the Texas power grid in the form of a Megapack project.

New filings with the city of Austin show Tesla’s renewable energy solution at Giga Texas would get added energy, according to the project application.

With project plans filed last week, it comes as Giga Texas prepares for Cyber Rodeo, its grand opening in early April.

Along with the thousands of households without power in the February 2021 storm, nearby, concerns over the grid’s reliability affected companies. Samsung shut down its Austin semiconductor plant for a month, causing a loss of more than $270 million. And this past February, Bitcoin mining companies halted major energy use as the state was hit with freezing temperatures.

The project is named “Giga Texas LCRA permanent switchyard & BESS,” which is short for battery energy storage system. The application covers a building area of 53 acres, though further details like the number of Megapacks aren’t referenced.

According to Electrek, drone flyovers in recent weeks show the automaker is building a solar array on the factory’s rooftop with solar panels that are expected to spell out Tesla.

At the start of the year, Tesla announced a Megapack project for an electric utility south of Houston in Angleton, Texas.

A completion timeline for the battery project at Giga Texas hasn’t been released.