ACT seeks proposals for 250MW of battery capacity with at least two hours storage

The ACT government has revealed the next step in the delivery of its Big Canberra Battery project, as it narrows down who will deliver the first two stages of the energy storage “ecosystem” – including a 250MW or larger grid-scale big battery system with between two and four hours of energy storage.

The battery project – an election promise of ACT Labor – will be made up of a number of different-sized batteries distributed across the national capital, with varying levels of storage, and is being delivered in three streams.

The big show – or the Big Battery – is being developed in Stream 1, the procurement process for which is set to be opened up in August to a handful of companies shortlisted from the market sounding process at the end of 2021.

The team behind the project says that for Stream 1 it is looking for a minimum of 250MW – quite likely more – of energy storage capacity connected to the ACT transmission network, with between two and four hours of storage.

What they choose to go with will depend on mix of cost, value and what the battery storage experts recommend.

It also remains to be seen – depending on the proposals that come back – whether the government goes with one big battery by one developer, or a mix of different smaller proposals adding up to a minimum of 250MW.

Stream 2 – which is also opening to tenders in August – will initially seek to deliver commercial-scale batteries at 14 government sites ranging from ambulance stations to schools and government offices.

The government sites are spread around the city, with batteries planned for sites in Fyshwick, Gungahlin, Belconnen, Chifley, Greenway, Kambah and Stromlo.

Stream 3 of the project is less well defined, but at this stage proposes to roll out a number of “neighbourhood scale” batteries on the distribution network, in solar heavy suburbs. The details of this Stream are expected to be clearer by the end of this year.

But for the Big Battery in Stream 1, the government is hoping to hear back from proponents well before end of the year, and to have made a decision on the way forward in the first few months of 2023. Construction is expected to begin sometime in the second half of 2023.

“The ACT is leading the nation on climate action,” chief minister Andrew Barr said in a statement.

“We are already powered by 100% renewable electricity, and the next step in our plan to reduce emissions and provide sustainable energy to Canberra households is the delivery of one of the largest battery storage systems in the Southern Hemisphere.

“The Big Canberra Battery will help future proof the Territory’s energy supply by reducing the load on our electricity network, supporting more families to switch to reliable renewable energy sources to power their homes.”

The ACT will also host two other big batteries as part of the last round of its renewable energy contracts, including the Capital battery from Neoen that has been expanded to 100MW and 200MWh and a smaller 10MW/20MWh battery to be built by GPG.

See also RenewEconomy’s updated Big Battery Storage Map of Australia