Australia’s biggest battery project nears first production as it enters grid management system

The first stage of what will be Australia’s biggest battery storage when complete is getting ready to charge up for the first time after officially entering the market operator’s grid management system.

The preparations at the Eraring battery are significant for a number of reasons. The battery will eventually be sized at 700 MW and 2,800 MWh, bigger than any other battery currently operating or under construction in Australia.

It is also located on the same site as the Eraring coal fired power generator, which at 2,880 MW is also the biggest in the country, and is due to close in 2027 (or maybe 2029) after its owner Origin Energy winning government backing to stay open for another two years.

But nothing says an energy transition quite like a big flexible battery taking the place of a big baseload coal fired power station, and it is happening across the grid – at Hazelwood, Collie, Munmorah, Liddell, Mt Piper, Stanwell, – and also at a number of gas fired power stations.

The first stage of the Eraring battery will be sized at 460 MW and 920 MWh, and will add to the rapidly growing capacity of battery storage on the NSW grid.

Until recently there were only a couple of big batteries in operation in NSW – at Darlington and Wallgrove – but the commissioning of the massive 850 MW and 1680 MWh Waratah Super Battery will add to the armoury for the market operator, and a large number of batteries are now under construction, or about to start.

The Eraring battery’s entrance to the AEMO’s Market Management System (MMS) was noted by GPE NEMLog analyst Geoff Eldridge, who notes that this effectively marks the start of testing and commissioning to ensure it meets its agreed Generator Performance Standards (GPS).

The second stage of the battery is being at 240 MW and 1,030 MWh and has already begun construction. A third phase will add 700 MWh of storage to bring the total to 700 MW and 2,800 MWh.

Once completed, the site will span 17 hectares and house over 2,000 battery enclosures, reinforcing its role in supporting grid stability as more wind and solar generation come online. The battery provider is Finnish group Wärtsilä.

See also: Renew Economy’s Big Battery Storage Map of Australia.