Irby Construction Company has joined forces with SMT Energy and CenterPoint Energy to officially break ground on SMT Houston IV, a 160 megawatt /320 megawatt-hour Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) located in the Houston Zone of the ERCOT market. This landmark project underscores the critical role of grid-scale energy storage in advancing reliability and resiliency across Texas. Once operational, SMT Houston IV will be capable of delivering fast-response power during peak demand periods, supporting grid stability and resiliency, and renewable integration.
Irby Construction is serving as the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contractor, bringing substantial expertise in electrical infrastructure to the project. SMT Energy, through its affiliate SMT Houston IV LLC, is the project owner and developer. CenterPoint Energy serves as the interconnecting utility, integrating the system into Houston's broader electrical network.
Construction will begin this month and is expected to be complete in early July. SMT Houston IV will contribute significantly to ERCOT's ancillary services markets, deliver high-speed grid balancing, and help mitigate the effects of load volatility and renewable intermittency. Irby was among the first in the industry to construct BESS projects.
In 2019, the company began construction on the Manatee BESS site with Florida Power and Light (FPL). It was the world's larger BESS project at the time. Since then, Irby has built over 30 BESS sites, with more than 20 currently under construction or under contract.
