Construction begins on Neoen’s “first behind-the-meter battery” at one of its biggest solar farms

Neoen Australia has begun construction of a big battery that is co-located with one of Australia’s biggest solar farms, the 440 megawatt Culcairn project near the town of the same name in New South Wales.

The battery, which will share the same grid connection as the solar farm, will have a power capacity of 215 megawatt (MW) with storage capacity of around 4.5 hours, or 963 megawatt-hours (MWh).

The Culcairn Solar Farm was officially powered up in May by project developer Neoen Australia, the local subsidiary of French renewable energy producer Neoen. Rated at 350 MW, or 440 MWp, Culcairn is Neoen’s second-largest solar asset, behind the 400 MW Western Downs solar farm in Queensland.

In a LinkedIn post on Tuesday, Neoen Australia said it was “especially proud of this asset” because it was the company’s “first ‘behind-the-meter’ battery at a solar farm!”

“This is possible thanks to the deep, technical expertise of our people and to their strong relationships in the industry and project community,” the post says. “We are ready to explore a new world of opportunities to continue supporting our customers, our communities, the market and Australia’s energy transition.”

The battery will be supplied by Milan-based NHOA Energy, which was also the supplier to Neoen’s 238.5 MW / 477 MWh Blyth Battery in South Australia, which has been in operation since early 2025.

Neoen has used mostly Tesla as its battery supplier, including for the first big battery at Hornsdale, and at Western Downs, its biggest battery at Collie (560 MW and 2240 MWh) and others.

In a statement, NHOA described the Culcairn battery as a “landmark hybrid plant,” comprising an AC-coupled battery system installed behind the meter.

“Repeat projects from a leading renewable energy developer is the strongest endorsement of our execution capabilities and our ability to deliver high-quality energy infrastructure at scale,” said Adrian Marziano, Vice President Australia & Pacific of NHOA Energy. 

Jean-Christophe Cheylus, CEO of Neoen Australia-Pacific, said more storage capacity will support grid stability in NSW.

“This achievement comes only a few weeks after Neoen inaugurated the Culcairn Solar Farm and showcases the pace at which our team consistently develops & delivers high-quality assets to accelerate the energy transition,” he said in a statement.

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Neoen had long promised a battery would be built alongside the Culcairn project, though the battery’s size has grown in the time since it was first proposed, thanks in large part to the rapid improvement in battery technology during the project’s development.

The new Culcairn battery will be built by Italian battery storage leader NHOA Energy in partnership with the same joint venture between Equans Solar & Storage & Bouygues Construction Australia that delivered the Culcairn Solar Farm.

Once completed, the project will support grid stability in the national electricity market and help the NSW government deliver on its Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap.

The battery is expected to be fully operational some time in 2028.

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