Hydrostor’s Willow Rock Energy Storage Center Signs Offtake Agreement with California Community Power

The Willow Rock Energy Storage Center will provide 50 MW of power to six California Community Power members

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hydrostor, a leading global long duration energy storage (LDES) developer and operator, is pleased to announce that the Willow Rock Energy Storage Center has signed a 50 MW offtake agreement with California Community Power (CC Power) on behalf of six of its community choice aggregator members.

The 500 MW / 4,000 MWh advanced compressed air energy storage (A-CAES) project can store energy for eight hours of continuous discharge to the grid, and will provide reliable capacity to the six CC Power members, supporting their objectives of procuring clean, reliable, long duration storage capacity within the California grid.

“Hydrostor’s Willow Rock project brings much-needed grid benefits to California by providing reliable long-duration energy storage capacity using domestic content, off-the-shelf turbomachinery, and only air and water to store energy,” said Alexander Morris, CC Power’s General Manager. “CC Power strives to advance California’s energy goals by contracting with novel, high-potential technologies and is excited to partner with Hydrostor on this innovative energy storage solution that improves reliability and diversifies California’s grid while supporting local employment and investment.”

Jon Norman, Hydrostor President, said, “We’re pleased to have signed this agreement with CC Power on behalf of its members, whose forward-thinking procurement activities are leading the way to ensure a future-proof and resilient grid, one that is underpinned by cost-effective and reliable long duration energy storage. This agreement marks an important milestone for Hydrostor as we continue scaling advanced long‑duration storage in key markets across the United States, Australia, and Canada, all of which are anticipating growing electricity demand, including from AI and data centers.”

The six CC Power members who are participating in the offtake agreement are CleanPowerSF, Peninsula Clean Energy, Redwood Coast Energy Authority, San Jose Clean Energy, Silicon Valley Clean Energy Authority, and Valley Clean Energy Authority.

“Through this agreement with CC Power, we’re demonstrating how A‑CAES can be deployed at meaningful scale to meet emerging reliability needs while offering a cost‑competitive, infrastructure‑ready solution for utilities navigating rapid load growth,” added Jordan Cole, Hydrostor’s Chief Commercial Officer. “Willow Rock is a strong example of how our commercial strategy translates into real projects delivering significant value for customers and communities.”

The Willow Rock project received its California Energy Commission permit in December of last year, its franchise agreement from the Kern County Board of Supervisors earlier the same month, as well as a conditional letter of support from the Kern County Board of Supervisors in April of 2025. The project is expected to come online in 2030.

The Willow Rock Energy Storage Center is Hydrostor’s first utility-scale project being built in the U.S., building on its operational project in Ontario, Canada. The company is developing another late-stage project in New South Wales, Australia, and has a 7 GW project pipeline globally, with projects in the U.S., Australia, Canada, and the UK.

About Hydrostor Inc.

Hydrostor is a leading developer and operator of long duration energy storage systems, leveraging a proven, patented technology solution for delivering long duration energy storage to power grids around the world, using compressed air and water to store energy.

Founded in 2010 and with offices in Toronto, Canada; Melbourne, Australia; and Denver, USA; Hydrostor is backed by Goldman Sachs Alternatives, CPP Investments, Canada Growth Fund, and other forward-thinking institutional investors, providing financial security to commit to top-tier energy projects. Hydrostor has an extensive pipeline of A-CAES projects in North America, Australia, and Europe, poised to meet their evolving grid and reliability needs.

To learn more, visit https://www.hydrostor.ca/ or follow us on LinkedIn.

About CC Power

Established in 2021, California Community Power is a Joint Powers Authority comprised of nine (9) CCAs. The agency allows its member CCAs to combine their buying power to procure new, cost-effective clean energy and reliability resources to continue advancing local and state climate goals. California Community Power members represent over 3 million customers across more than 112 municipalities and serve a combined annual load of more than 30,000 gigawatt hours, representing about 12% of the California Independent System Operator’s annual electric load. CC Power members consist of Ava Community Energy, Central Coast Community Energy, CleanPowerSF, Peninsula Clean Energy, Redwood Coast Energy Authority, San José Clean Energy, Silicon Valley Clean Energy, Sonoma Clean Power, and Valley Clean Energy. Learn more at cacommunitypower.org.