Heavy lifting complete, as final 38 tonne Tesla Megapack installed at battery project next to coal plant

Stanwell Corporation says most of the heavy lifting is done at the 300MW, two-hour big battery it is building at the site of its Tarong coal power plant, with the last of the project’s 164 Tesla Megapacks now lifted into place at the site in Queensland’s South Burnett region.

The big battery was announced by Queensland government in May 2021 – although at half the current size – for a site adjacent to the Tarong Power Station, north west of Brisbane, where it will help the state’s south-east transition away from fossil fuels.

The 1,400MW Tarong power station, one of Australia’s largest remaining coal plants, is owned and operated by the state-owned Stanwell Corporation and currently slated to close in 2036-37, after more than 50 years in operation.

It joins a growing list of retired and retiring coal plants around Australia that will host a big batteries, including the Loy Yang, Eraring, Liddell and Wallerewang power stations.

In Queensland, a 250 MW battery is being developed alongside a solar farm near to the 825 MW Milmerran coal fired generator and mine, south-west of Toowoomba – after being given federal approval under the EPBC Act earlier this month.

“By locating battery storage at Tarong Power Station, we can capitalise on existing land and connection infrastructure, support the investment in renewables within the region and help maintain system security and reliability,” Stanwell’s Adam Aspinall – then acting CEO – said in a statement in 2021.

Construction on the Tarong battery – officially called the Southern Renewable Energy Zone Battery Energy Storage System, or the SREZ BESS – started in October of 2023, with 82 Megapacks delivered for stage one of the project in February and another 82 arriving on-site over April.

In a LinkedIn post on Wednesday, Stanwell said that with the last of the Megapacks now in place, contractors will focus on connecting them to transformers, as well as installing high-voltage underground conduits and feeder cable, and preparing for the delivery of the two switch rooms.

“The Tarong BESS is Stanwell’s first dispatchable energy storage project and kicks off our goal to have 5GW of firming capacity operational by 2035,” the post says.

State energy minister Mick de Brenni also marked the milestone for the SREZ BESS on LinkedIn, as one of the biggest batteries being built in Queensland.

“[The Megapacks] will soak up clean, cheap renewable energy during the day, then release it in the evening,” de Brenni said. “Helping to provide stability, reliability, and lower prices.”