Three states announce BESS projects in a week
Three Australian states have made announcements about major grid battery and solar utility projects over the past week, amounting to a total increased storage capacity of around 800 MW (~2850 MWh).
The largest of these is the announcement by the NSW Government of the approval of a $1 billion battery energy storage system (BESS) project near Lithgow. The $1 billion Mt Piper BESS will utilise EnergyAustralia’s existing electricity infrastructure near Lithgow and will store up to 500 MW (2000 MWh) to power over 200,000 homes when needed.
“With a $1 billion price tag, this battery is among the biggest in Australia,” said NSW Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully. “It stands ready to inject major capital investment, create jobs and provide Lithgow Council with $2 million to invest in local community projects.”
In Western Australia, the state government has announced this week that the second ‘big battery’ at Kwinana is now complete, providing an additional 200 MW of capacity and 800 MWh of storage at a cost of $661 million.
The battery will be online on before Christmas, but comes as Western Australia’s main electricity grid hit a new renewable energy record this month, with renewables peaking at 85.1% of energy on the South West Interconnected System on 17 November.
“The Kwinana big batteries will play a vital role in keeping our energy system reliable and stable, allowing us to bring on more renewable energy and sensibly phase out coal by 2030,” said Premier Roger Cook.
Meanwhile on a smaller scale, the Victorian Government has announced the newly reactivated government agency, the State Electricity Commission (SEC), will invest $370 million to build the SEC Renewable Energy Park, a large solar farm and battery in Horsham.
The state government says the site will be capable of generating around “242,000 MWh of renewable energy a year [sic]”. The SEC is partnering with developer OX2 to build the Park, which will consist of a 119 MW solar farm and 100 MW two-hour battery. Construction on the SEC’s first investment — the 600 MW Melbourne Renewable Energy Hub — is now at the halfway point.
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