Dive Brief:
- Mortenson Construction, the nation's largest wind-power contractor, has formed a new business unit, which will focus on the energy storage market.
- The company will provide engineering, construction and integration services for energy storage systems "interconnected to local energy grids and behind-the-meter commercial applications," according to a company statement.
- Mortenson and Blattner Energy are the only Minnesota contractors in the large-scale battery storage market, and, according to Ravi Manghani of GTM Research, there are only six other major engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) companies now competing for large-scale battery projects, the Star Tribune reported.
Dive Insight:
Mortenson has 148 wind projects — worth $343 million last year — and 57 solar projects completed or under construction. The company also is the nation's fourth-largest solar contractor and the third-largest transmission project builder, the Tribune reported.
Mortenson, the Tribune reported, also sees an opportunity to install battery storage for sports facilities and corporate and institutional buildings, which is the focus of a large part of its construction business.
"That is a really, really exciting part of the industry," Mortenson executive Brent Bergland said. "We have a tremendous amount of untapped potential in our existing base of operations. We plan to make sure our customers' businesses are running better because they are smarter planners of energy consumption." Berglund is slated to lead the new business unit.
Mortenson is the primary contractor on the new Minnesota Vikings stadium and will also build the new Golden State Warriors arena in a joint venture with Clark Construction. The company is currently engaged in a high-profile, $15 million change order dispute on the Vikings stadium.
