ARENA hails grid-forming inverters as another big battery takes shape

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency has hailed the go-ahead for another big battery project in Victoria, saying the rollout of its grid-forming inverter technology will play a critical role in the country’s switch from coal to renewables.

ARENA announced on Wednesday that Origin Energy had issued a “notice to proceed” to the US-based Fluence for the 300 MW, 650 MWh Mortlake battery that will be built next to an existing gas generator in Victoria’s west.

Origin last month announced that the its board had given approval for the $400 million investment, which is being supported by up to $24 million in funding from ARENA as part of its $176 million Large Scale Battery Storage Funding Round.

ARENA says the new battery – one of eight earmarked for funding support to assist with the added costs of grid forming investors – will play a crucial role in providing stability to the local grid as more wind and solar farms are built in Victoria’s South West Renewable Energy Zone.

ARENA CEO Darren Miller says the project highlights the growing importance of grid forming capabilities for the grid.

“As traditional forms of energy generation are phased out, new clean technologies are required to take their place. Large scale batteries can play a significant role in providing system stability services, particularly when fitted with advanced grid forming inverters,” Miller said in a statement.

“ARENA’s funding has been integral to creating smarter batteries with this technology. The decision to proceed by Origin further highlights the increased confidence in grid-forming inverter technology and the strong market incentives driving investment in battery storage.”

Fluence, which has been appointed as the EPC contractor for the Mortlake project, will utilise grid forming inverters supplied by SMA.  The battery is expected to be fully operational by 2026.

ARENA had previously provided funding to the two largest grid-forming batteries in Australia, the 150 MW / 300 MWh Riverina Battery at Darlington Point in NSW, and the 150 MW / 194 MWh Hornsdale Power Reserve in South Australia.

Five of the eight projects that were successful in the special grid-forming Funding Round have been financially committed.

Three are yet to reach that stage are the 200 MW/ 400 MWh Bungama battery proposed by Risen in South Australia, the 250 MW/ 550 MWh Gnarwarre battery proposed by FRV in Victoria, and the 300 MW/ 600 MWh Mount Fox battery proposed by TagEnergy in Queensland.

• The already committed projects include: 

Neoen
Project: Western Downs BESS
Size (MW / MWh): 255 / 510
Inverter OEM: Tesla

Neoen
Project: Blyth BESS
Size (MW / MWh): 200 / 400
Inverter OEM: Power Electronics

Neoen
Project: VBB BESS (retrofit of grid-forming capability)
Size (MW / MWh): 300 / 450
Inverter OEM: Tesla

AGL
Project: Liddell BESS
Size (MW / MWh): 500 / 1,000
Inverter OEM: Power Electronics

Origin
Project: Mortlake BESS
Size (MW / MWh): 300 / 650
Inverter OEM: SMA

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