Governments

Contractor announced for biggest battery installation in Western Australia grid

Published by

The Western Australia government has announced the winning contractor for the first big battery to be built on the state’s main grid, and the biggest in the state so far.

Premier Mark McGowan and energy minister Bill Johnston said the state-owned utility Synergy had awarded NHOA Australian the $155 million contract to deliver the 100MW/2000MWh battery, which will be built at the site of the decommissioned Kwinana fired power station.

Construction will begin next month and the battery should be operational by end of 2022, with its primary purpose being to help smooth out the growing amount of renewables, with protection of gas and coal fired generators – currently forced to ramp beyond their limits – top of mind.

The battery will be able to store excess rooftop solar energy during the day, when demand is low, and discharge electricity rapidly during the afternoon and evening peak, when the ramping is usually imposed on the legacy fossil fuel generators.

One in three WA households already have rooftop solar panels, and this is expected to rise to 50 per cent by 2030.

“This battery is crucial to WA’s sustainable energy future and a key part of the Distributed Energy Resources Roadmap,” McGowan said in a statement.

“There is a rapid energy transformation happening and energy storage systems such as this battery will play a key role in providing better energy outcomes for Western Australian households and businesses.”

Johnston said the battery will support more renewables to join the grid, and described the Italian-based NHOA as “one of the world’s top utility-scale energy storage organisations, having installed batteries and microgrids in 26 countries.”

The Belmont-based GenusPlus has won a $50 million sub-contracting mandate. The WA Government has committed $140 million towards the big battery project, with the Commonwealth Government contributing $15 million.

Curiously, NHOA – previously known as Engie EPS, and now majority owned by the Taiwan Cement Corp – announced the contract earlier this month, although at the time it described the 200MWh contract as being for an “as-yet undisclosed location for an unnamed customer … with completion expected by the end of 2022.

WA’s main grid, which already features dozens of “community-based batteries” of around 500kWh each to absorb the growing amounts of rooftop solar, is likely to see another big battery built at Wagerup, in the state’s south, by Alinta Energy.

Alinta is already operating the Mt Newman big battery, (pictured above) which as 35MW/12MWh is already proving highly successful at lifting reliability, delivering profits and cutting emissions.

At least three more big batteries are planned by Alinta, Fortescue Mines and Rio Tinto in the Pilbara region to host more renewables.

Giles Parkinson

Giles Parkinson is founder and editor of Renew Economy, and is also the founder of One Step Off The Grid and founder/editor of the EV-focused The Driven. He is the co-host of the weekly Energy Insiders Podcast. Giles has been a journalist for 40 years and is a former business and deputy editor of the Australian Financial Review.

Share
Published by

Recent Posts

Could $1 billion actually bring solar manufacturing back to Australia? It’s worth a shot

By 2050, solar should provide most of our electricity – but only if we have enough…

28 March 2024

Hydro Tasmania on the hunt for a new CEO amid political and renewable turmoil

Tasmanian utility begins hunt for new CEO, following the news that current chief will step…

28 March 2024

Capacity Investment Scheme needs to set high bar for communities hosting renewables

Without exception, the CIS should encourage projects that do good community engagement, with good environmental…

28 March 2024

Australia’s biggest coal generator teams up with SunDrive to make solar at Liddell

AGL signs MoU with Cannon-Brookes backed PV innovator SunDrive to explore "first of its kind"…

28 March 2024

Solar ducks and big batteries: How Alice Springs grid could run five hours a day with no fossil fuels

Alice Springs may be able to run on 100 pct renewables for an average five…

28 March 2024

“Unconscionable:” Eraring delay could cost $150m a year, adding to massive Origin windfall, report says

New analysis says the potential taxpayer cost of keeping Eraring open for another few years…

28 March 2024