Giant four hour battery project in New England told to join queue for federal approval

Acenergy will need federal environment approval for its Gara battery in Armidale, New South Wales (NSW), with EPBC bureaucrats delivering the news just a month after the project was referred. 

The reasons given were the threatened species and ecological communities impacted by the 400 megawatt (MW)/1760MWh (four hours duration) battery energy storage system (BESS).

The main consideration for the federal environmental process was the direct impact on a 5.22 hectare patch of land, and indirect effects on another 5.25 hectares of native wood- and grasslands.

Acenergy hopes to start construction on the BESS by the end of 2025. 

The state environment planners will be looking for plans that protect narrow-leaved black peppermint, bluegrass, little eagles and koalas, the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water said in its advice to Acenergy. 

The developer is still at stage two of eight steps in the NSW planning process; the EBPC approvals will be incorporated into that system under a bilateral deal to avoid state and federal duplication.

The developer says the environmental impact statement (EIS) is ready to be lodged and it’s hoping for a determination in late 2025.

“We have conducted extensive community engagement in Armidale and are committed to ongoing consultation throughout the development process. Through three community consultation sessions, site visits and direct meetings, we have been able to identify and work to mitigate community concerns, like landscape, noise and fire risk,” an Acenergy spokesperson told Renew Economy.

“We are committed to ensuring the local community benefits from the Gara BESS project, beyond energy. ACEnergy was thrilled to be able to contribute to the Armidale Regional Council’s future fund to ensure ongoing, significant intergenerational benefit to our region. We are also in conversation with the local RFS about the opportunity for ACEnergy to donate land and fund a local RFS Shed.”

The BESS will connect to Transgrid’s existing 330kV network via a new underground or overhead transmission line. 

And being in the middle of arguably NSW’s most contentious renewable energy zone (REZ), New England, it’s not short of neighbours.

Also in the area are the operating 115MWac Metz and 5MW Une solar farms, while the 215MW Oxley solar farm, the 100MW Eathorpe BESS and 150 MW/300MWh Armidale BESS are also in the state planning queue. 

The Armidale, Stringybark and Olive Grove solar farms may or may not be on the way as well: they were approved some years ago but are not yet built. 

To the south is ACEN Energy’s New England 200 MW/400MWh BESS and the accompanying 720MW solar project.