EnergyAustralia plans to build massive four hour battery in South Australia

EnergyAustralia, one of Australia’s big three energy retailers, has unveiled plans to build a massive four-hour battery in South Australia as it continues its plan to roll out large storage facilities next to its existing fossil fuel generators.

The company says the Hallett battery energy storage system will have an initial size of 50 MW, with four hours of storage or 200 MWh, but the longer term ambition is to expand it to a 150 MW battery facility with 600 MWh of storate.

It will be located next to its existing Hallett gas generator in Canowie, around 210kms north of Adelaide, and will likely be the first four-hour battery to be built in the state – somewhat surprising given the local grid already source more than 71 per cent of its electricity demand from wind and solar.

“In just over 16 years South Australia’s electricity mix has shifted from below one percent renewables to more than 70 percent of energy generated by wind and solar. This is the highest in the world for a grid this size,” the company’s head of portfolio development Daniel Nugent said in a statement.

“On a peak summer day, our Hallett gas-fired power station can provide approximately five per cent of South Australia’s power needs during peak periods.

“Over the longer term, the Hallett battery will allow us to transition our gas-fired power station to be in strategic reserve, decrease our emissions, and support more renewables coming into the system.”

The Hallett battery plan is similar EnergyAustralia’s other storage projects, which include a big battery and a proposed pumped hydro project next to its Mt Piper coal fired power station in NSW, and the Woreen battery next to the Jeeralang gas generator in Victoria.

The company also has multiple contracts with battery projects, including Bouldercombe in Queensland (pictured above), Riverina in NSW and Gannawarra and Ballarat in Victoria, and will also operate the Kidston pumped hydro project in north Queensland when that is complete.

Nugent says it is part of a plan for phased transition using existing infrastructure.

“We’re seeking to develop this battery on land we own alongside our power station, which brings some big benefits for construction and delivery certainty,” he said in the statement.

“For example, we can use the existing transmission infrastructure avoiding the need to build new transmission lines on private land.”

The Hallet project will undergo further assessments and community consultation and is subject to the necessary South Australian planning approvals. EnergyAustralia expects it to be operational as early as the start of 2026.

It is one of a number of new batteries being proposed or under construction in South Australia, including the most recently announced 200MWh battery put forward by Epic Energy near Mannum.

See RenewEconomy’s Big Battery Storage Map of Australia