Giant four-hour battery project proposed next to New England solar farm

Saudi owned renewables giant FRV has unveiled plans to build a 400 megawatt (MW), 1,600 megawatt-hour (MWh) big battery in the New South Wales New England region, alongside a 115 MW solar farm that was completed by the company three years ago.

The Armidale East BESS (battery energy storage system) was referred for environmental approval under the federal government’s EPBC Act on Monday, promising to supply up to four hours of stored renewables to the grid during peak periods.

Fotowatio Renewable Ventures Australia is proposing to build the big battery around 18 km east of Armidale, adjacent to its existing Metz Solar Farm, which commenced full commercial operations in September 2022.

According to the referral documents, the project could have an operational life of around 40 years, over which time it would support grid stability, reliability and efficiency, as well as the integration of more renewables in the region.

The documents say the proposed action is highly compatible with the existing energy generation and transmission infrastructure, including the Metz Solar Farm and adjacent 330kV transmission line.

The referral also notes that the land proposed for the battery, the traditional lands of the Anaiwan, Gumbaynggirr and Dhunghatti people, has been largely cleared for sheep grazing and forestry plantation. Five threatened fauna species have been identified as likely to use habitat in the project area.

FRV’s Metz solar farm, which has the capacity to meet the power demand of 40,000 NSW households, secured a power purchase agreement with Snowy Hydro back in 2018 and reached full financial close in December 2020.

Saudi-owned Fotowatio Renewable Ventures in 2021 sold a major stake in its Australian subsidiary, bringing Canada-based Omers Infrastructure on board to help fast-track and expand its multi-gigawatt pipeline of solar and big battery projects across Australia.

FRV, which is owned by Saudi Arabia’s Abdul Latif Jameel Energy, said at the time that the deal – which gave Omers a 49% interest in FRV’s Australian portfolio – would accelerate its position as a leader in Australian renewables and its expansion into new technologies.

FRV Australia has a portfolio of almost 1 gigawatt (GW) of solar and 102.5MW / 205MWh of batteries including six operational solar farms, a hybrid solar and BESS project, the Terang BESS in Victoria, and the Walla Walla solar farm under construction in NSW.

The 100MW/200MWh Terang BESS in south-west Victoria is the company’s first big battery project in Australia, FRV kicking off development in August last year after securing a huge round of funding.

Large Scale Solar Farm Map of Australia

See also Renew Economy’s Big Battery Storage Map of Australia and its Large Scale Solar Farm Map of Australia for more information.