Forrest’s Squadron Energy scraps “first of its kind” battery project because it is too small

Iron ore billionaire Andrew Forrest likes to think big. His vision for green hydrogen production trumped most people’s views of what is possible, and his goal of “real zero” emissions at his Pilbara iron ore mines is also highly ambitious.

And his company is now developing the world’s most powerful EV fast chargers to power up its planned fleet of giant, 240 tonne electric haul trucks.

But a battery project in New England hailed as a “first of its kind” when unveiled two years ago has now been scrapped by Squadron Energy – owned by Andrew and Nicola Forrest – because it is too small.

As Renew Economy wrote at the time, the proposed 30 MW, 30 MWh Sapphire battery was to be built next what was then the biggest wind farm in NSW, the 270 MW Sapphire wind farm near Glen Innes in the state’s north.

It was hailed by its then owners – CWP Renewables – as the first the first big battery to be get a connection agreement to an existing generation plant at the same connection point.

It was considered a landmark because the rules of the market had made it near impossible for a wind or solar plant to share the same connection point till then.

Jason Willoughby, then CEO of CWP and now head of Squadron Energy, as the company’s first big battery and would be a “critical part” of the renewable energy transition, and would store excess output and put it back into the grid when it was needed most.

It was one of five projects eligible to share $47.5 million of grant funding under the NSW Emerging Energy, program, although it did not access those funds because the project has been quietly dropped. On the market operator’s Generation Information page it is listed as one of several projects that have been withdrawn.

A spokesperson for Squadron confirmed the project had been withdrawn.

“As part of our process for project investment, we have reviewed the viability of Sapphire Battery,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

“The market has moved on considerably in recent years and due to its size, this facility no longer aligns with our strategy. 

“Delivering the clean energy transition at scale and pace requires larger projects that are designed in line with our growing generation and firming requirements.”

Squadron has ambitions of reaching 12 GW of wind, solar and storage capacity, and has recently connected the 450 MW Clarke Creek wind farm in Queensland, is building the 414 MW Uungula wind project in NSW, and is working on a number of battery storage projects on a different scale altogether.

These include the Gol Gol and Koorakee energy hub projects, both of which envisage battery installations of up to 12,000 MWh, which would make them the biggest in the world, and the potential 400 MW, 1800 MWh Spicers Creek battery and the 150 MW, 300 MWh Uungula battery. All are planned to be built next to wind projects.