Irby Construction, SMT Energy, and CenterPoint Energy Break Ground on 160 MW / 320 MWh Battery Storage Project in Houston

Irby Construction Company, a premier utility infrastructure solutions provider, 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. “We’re excited to work with SMT on this project. We have invested a year of hard work to ensure that the project is engineered efficiently, and we are ready to get our boots on the ground and start construction,” said Amanda Cobb Davis Irby Director of Operations for Battery Energy Storage Systems.

A groundbreaking ceremony, held on-site in Houston, featured a symbolic cord-cutting in place of the traditional shovel ceremony—signifying a bold step forward into a more electrified and flexible energy future. Representatives from all three organizations were present, along with key project stakeholders.

“This groundbreaking reflects years of detailed planning and collaboration with CenterPoint Energy, Harris County, FlexGen, and Irby Construction Company. Our focus now shifts to executing a tightly managed construction phase, prioritizing safety, quality, and schedule from the first day on site through commissioning.” said Kevin Midei, SMT Senior Vice President of EPC. “We are proud to be underway and deliver this grid strengthening project to Houston.”

“Projects like this demonstrate how collaboration and forward-thinking infrastructure come together to power a more resilient energy future. At CenterPoint, we recently completed nearly 90 percent of our overall grid resiliency improvements. This is one more action we are taking to build a more resilient and reliable grid to better serve our customers,” said Tony Gardner, SVP & Chief Customer Officer, CenterPoint Energy.

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 largest BESS project at the time. Since then, Irby has built over 30 BESS sites, with more than 20 currently under construction or under contract.