Biggest battery to date on Australia’s main grid officially opened, in time for summer

The biggest completed battery project on Australia’s main grid, and one of largest battery projects in the country – has been officially opened, marking also the first completed investment from the state’s revitalised SEC.

The Melbourne Renewable Energy Hub is jointly owned by SEC and Equis Australia, and features a total of 600 megawatts (MW) of capacity and 1,600 megawatt hours (MWh) of storage, and is positioned at a key part of the grid at the meeting point of several major transmission lines.

It is not the biggest battery in the country – that title currently belongs to Neoen’s 560 MW, 2,240 MWh Collie battery in Western Australia – but it is, at least for now, the biggest battery that is now fully operating on the main grid, the National Electricity Market.

That’s a title it may never have gained had it not been for the last minute transformer failures that stopped the 850 MW, 1680 MWh Waratah Super Battery in NSW from completing its own commissioning in mid October.

The $1.2 billion Melbourne Renewable Energy Hub – located in melbourne’s west – is actually three different battery projects located at the same spot – all of them with capacity of 200 MW, with two having two hours of storage and one with four hours.

Their strategic position at the confluence of several of Victoria’s critical transmission routes, means that they will be able to support three different renewable energy zones.

“The Hub will soak up excess wind and solar power during the daytime and shift that energy to the evening peaks when we need it most,” SEC CEO Chris Miller said in a statement.

SEC played a critical role in the development, and the upsizing of the four hour battery component, with its $245 million investment – part of its mandate to bring projects to market, including the purchase and expansion of the previously stalled Horsham solar and battery hybrid project.

It is also the first completed project for Equis Australia and managing director David Russell said it had been delivered on schedule and on budget.
 
“Our engineers designed a world-first underground 500kV cable connecting a BESS into existing gas-insulated grid infrastructure,” he said.

“Our investment team secured a landmark $400m debt package and it has been impressive to watch the project take shape from Notice to Proceed in December 2023, installation of 444 Tesla megapacks and three Toshiba 500kV HV transformers.”

Equis Australia has a number of other projects underway, including the Calala, Lower Wonga and Koorunga batteries, and has several wind farm developments in the pipeline a well.

The Melbourne Renewable Energy Hub will not hold its “biggest” title for long, however, even in the state of Victoria.

According to Renew Economy data, it is the 10th biggest battery project currently in full operations, in commissioning or under construction. More biggest projects are in the pipeline

See: Australia’s 10 biggest battery storage projects – and what they are paid to do

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