Australian energy giant AGL is seeking a federal green tick for its 500 megawatt, 2 gigawatt-hour Tuckeroo battery project, set to be built south of Chinchilla in the Western Downs region of Queensland.
One of a number of big battery projects proposed by AGL, the Tuckeroo Battery officially entered the queue for federal environmental approval last Thursday, inviting public comment on the project. It follows an earlier submission for its transmission line filed last month by Powerlink.
The project is proposed for construction 140 km north-west of Toowoomba, 13 km north of Kogan and 20 km west of Warra, within the Western Downs Regional Council local government area.
If approved, the project will consist of approximately 560 lithium iron phosphate battery packs built on 325 hectares. AGL says the project will provide firming capacity to the National Electricity Market and assist with grid stability.
AGL is currently building the 500 MW, 1000 MWh Liddell battery and has committed to the 500 MW, 2,000 MWh Tomago battery also in the Hunter Valley. It has already built the Torrens Island battery in South Australia and the Broken Hill battery in NSW, and has off-take deals with a number of other big batteries.
The Tuckeroo Battery has already secured partial development approval by the Western Downs Regional Council, but this does not include ongoing site inspections that may be required to inform the detailed design of the project or enable environmental management plans.
The project will be connected to the nearby Western Downs Substation via underground transmission lines that will be built and owned by Queensland network company Powerlink, which referred these plans for EPBC approval last month.
According to the federal referral, the Tuckeroo Battery is expected to begin operation in the second half of 2027 and operate through to 2049.
In addition to constructing the project itself, construction activities will include stormwater management, a 2.7-metre-high chain wire security fence, access track and parking, and upgrading the road to an all-weather road.
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