Fourth Quarter BESS

Project introduction

On the grounds of the retired Dickerson Generating Station in Montgomery County, Maryland, RWE is planning a new chapter for a familiar energy site. The Fourth Quarter Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) will provide 300 MW of storage capacity with a 4‑hour duration, using the existing power corridor to support Maryland’s growing electricity needs with homegrown energy infrastructure. Construction will take place on an already industrial site, keeping large energy facilities where they have long been part of the landscape and grid.

Fourth Quarter BESS is anticipated to begin operations in 2028. Once online, the project will store electricity when demand is lower and send it back to the grid when homes, businesses, and public facilities need it most.

Site location

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Project introduction

This kind of flexible capacity is increasingly important in a region where data centers, transit electrification, and steady population growth are all adding to demand for reliable power. By reusing a former coal plant site, the project turns an older asset into a modern tool that helps keep the lights on across Montgomery County and beyond.

Over its operating life, Fourth Quarter BESS is expected to generate substantial local tax revenue. Depending on the depreciation schedule set by the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation, total property tax payments may range from about $59.8 million to $138.6 million in 2023 dollars. Those long‑term dollars can help support county services without raising taxes on residents. The project also brings construction jobs and ongoing operations roles tied to a facility that will work quietly in the background, helping stabilize the regional grid for decades.

Status: In development

Facts & figures

00 MW

battery energy storage capacity located at the retired Dickerson Generating Station site

00 Hours

planned storage duration providing flexible grid support

00 Jobs

supported during the construction phase of Fourth Quarter BESS

Project Benefits

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Local revenue from an existing energy site

Fourth Quarter BESS turns a long‑time energy location into a new source of funding for Montgomery County. Over the life of the project, property tax payments are expected to fall between roughly $59.8 million and $138.6 million in 2023 dollars, with the final amount set by the state’s depreciation schedule. For a county that continues to grow and invest in services, this represents a durable stream of local revenue coming from a site that has hosted power facilities for decades. Those dollars can support schools, transportation, emergency response, and other county priorities without raising tax rates for residents.

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Construction and long‑term energy careers

Building a 300 MW battery storage project is a major construction effort. Fourth Quarter BESS is expected to support about 70 jobs during the build phase, from skilled trades and equipment operators to engineers and project support staff. Many of those workers can come from the surrounding region, putting local expertise to work on a domestic energy project. Once operations begin, the facility will support specialized technical and maintenance roles associated with monitoring and managing the battery systems. These are stable energy careers tied to a site that has long been part of Maryland’s power network.

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Stronger grid performance during peak demand

Maryland’s power needs do not stay flat across the day. Summer afternoons, winter cold snaps, and high‑use periods push the grid hardest. Fourth Quarter BESS helps smooth those peaks. By charging when demand and prices are lower, then discharging during the hours when homes, businesses, hospitals, and transit systems are using the most electricity, the project acts like a shock absorber for the local grid. This can help reduce strain on transmission lines, support voltage, and cut the risk of outages when people depend on power the most. For residents, that means more reliable service and fewer disruptions.

Stronger Electric Grid

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Turning a former coal site into grid strength

For most people, grid reliability comes down to simple questions. Does the power stay on during a thunderstorm, a heat wave, or a cold snap, and do local businesses have the steady electricity they need to operate every day. Fourth Quarter BESS is designed with that everyday experience in mind. Located at the retired Dickerson Generating Station site, the project uses existing grid connections to inject stored power back into the system at the moments when it is needed most.

Battery storage acts as a flexible partner to the rest of the region’s power plants. When demand is lower, the system charges. When demand spikes, it discharges, helping to keep supply and demand balanced in real time. This can reduce stress on older infrastructure, support grid operators during unexpected events, and provide backup capacity if other resources go offline. Residents may never visit the facility or see it up close, but they will feel the benefits through fewer flickers, fewer outage alerts, and more confidence that Montgomery County has the energy backbone to support jobs, housing, and modern life.

A long‑time energy site, working for the next generation

For years, the Dickerson Generating Station was a familiar landmark and a major source of electricity for Maryland. Fourth Quarter BESS carries that history forward in a new form. Instead of retiring the site and leaving its grid connections underused, the project keeps Dickerson in service to the county and the state, this time as a quiet storage facility that helps steady the broader power system. It represents an evolution in how the site supports the community, shifting from always‑on generation to flexible, on‑demand support that matches today’s changing patterns of energy use.

Over the next 20 to 30 years, the tax revenue from Fourth Quarter BESS can become a dependable line item in county budgets. When local leaders plan for school upgrades, road improvements, or public safety investments, they can look to the project as a consistent source of funding tied to an already developed industrial property.

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Instead of pushing new large facilities into untouched areas, this approach concentrates energy infrastructure where it already exists. Residents benefit from both the continuity and the reduced pressure on new land.

The project also sends a message about how Maryland is meeting rising electricity demand. Data centers, advanced manufacturing, transit electrification, and growing neighborhoods all require strong, domestic energy infrastructure. By adding 300 MW of storage capacity in Montgomery County, RWE is helping keep more of that supporting infrastructure in‑state, close to where power is consumed. Families and businesses may never need to think about the details of charging cycles or dispatch intervals. What they experience is a grid that keeps up with modern life, built on American energy investments that respect local history while planning for the future.

Fourth Quarter BESS is sited on the grounds of the retired Dickerson Generating Station, an area already associated with energy production and heavy infrastructure. Using this existing site reduces the need to open up new greenfield areas for large power facilities and keeps major equipment within a familiar industrial footprint. As the project advances through development, RWE will coordinate with county and state officials on construction planning, traffic management, and long‑term site stewardship. The goal is to make this next chapter at Dickerson a good neighbor, one that supports local services through tax payments while continuing the site’s long service to Maryland’s energy needs.