The first of hundreds of Tesla Megapacks have started arriving at the site of a 300 megawatt (MW) four-hour (1,200 MWh) big battery being built by Queensland government-owned generator Stanwell Corporation, next to an existing coal plant.
Stanwell said on Monday that the first consignment of Tesla Megapack 2XL units has safely arrived at the project site adjacent to the Stanwell Power Station near Rockhampton, marking a “significant milestone” in the company’s transition from black to green.
In total, 324 Megapack units – each weighing in at 38 tonnes and measuring around “the length of a city bus” – will to the site from Brisbane, by semi-trailer. Once in place, the Megapacks will be stored in “shipping mode” until commissioning begins in November.
Stanwell central generation general manager Angie Zahra says the huge MWh battery is part of 850 MW of energy storage capacity in the gentailer’s pipeline.
“The Stanwell Battery is part of the diversification of our portfolio, to include cleaner and more flexible energy solutions,” Zahra said on Monday.
“Capable of discharging 300 MW of energy for up to four hours (1200 MWh), our mega battery will be one of the largest in Queensland.”
As Renew Economy has reported, the Stanwell mega battery was given a significant financial boost by the former Queensland Labor government, including $448.2 million from its Renewable Energy and Hydrogen Job Fund in May 2024 to double the battery’s capacity to its current configuration.
This was in line with the former Labor state government’s 80 per cent by 2035 renewables timeline, which had penciled in the wind-down of the Stanwell, Tarong, and Callide coal generators to begin in 2026/27, from which time they would operate only at peak times and progressively operate only as “syncons”, if needed.
The current Queensland LNP government has since announced a policy to extend the life of Callide B, reportedly three years beyond its scheduled closure date in 2028, and flagged extensions for the state’s other coal power generators.
The Tesla Megapacks for the Stanwell Battery are being installed by Yurika, another Queensland government-owned company, with the help of other local contractors and around 80 workers during construction.
Stanwell says the battery is scheduled to start supplying electricity to the grid from May 2027.
See Renew Economy’s Big Battery Storage Map of Australia for more information.
