FirstEnergy Generation Corp. has announced that it has purchased the rights to develop a compressed-air electric generating plant on a 92-acre site in Norton, Ohio, USA, from CAES Development Company, LLC.
The transaction includes rights to a 600-acre underground cavern, formerly operated as a limestone mine, that is ideal for energy storage technology. The company is evaluating its options related to the project, but has not yet committed to development scope or timing. However, an initial phase could involve installing two to four units capable of generating a minimum of 268MW of electricity. With 9.6 million cubic meters of storage, the Norton Energy Storage Project has the potential to be expanded to up to 2,700MW of capacity.
