Last of three giant transformers gets craned into place at massive state-backed battery

The third and final giant transformer has arrived for installation at the first stage of the 600 megawatt Melbourne Renewable Energy Hub (MREH) in Victoria, moving the state-backed big battery a step closer to delivering up to 1.6 gigawatt-hours of energy storage into the grid.

With all 444 Tesla Megapacks and two transformers already installed, the final 335 tonne transformer marks the last major piece of kit for the huge project that is being co-developed by the Victorian government’s State Electricity Commission (SEC) and Equis Australia.

The MREH is the first project from the SEC’s initial $1 billion investment as part of its initial target of 4.5 gigawatts of new renewable energy generation and storage projects.

The big battery, located in Melton on the western outskirts of Melbourne, will be made up of three different 200MW components, two of them with two hours of storage and one with fours of storage duration.

Image source: State Electricity Commission, LinkedIn

A further stage of development, which plans to tap into another three 200MW connection points already approved for the site, could be even bigger because it may include 12-hours of storage delivered by so-called flow batteries.

Once fully completed, the big battery is also expected to allow 1.8 gigawatts of new renewable energy generation to be added to the Victorian grid. 

In a LinkedIn post on Thursday, the SEC says the project remains on track to come online later this year, when it will start storing enough cheap renewables through the day to power hundreds of thousands of households through the evening peak.

“Transformers play a vital role for any renewable energy generation or storage project,” the SEC post says.

“They allow energy to be sent to and from the transmission network at the appropriate voltage, enabling BESS operations, maximising grid performance and reducing transmission losses over long distances.

“In the case of MREH, this will support reliable transmission of energy to Victorian households.

“Once all three transformers are connected, they will enable MREH to deliver up to 1.6 gigawatt hours of energy storage into the grid. That’s enough to power 200,000 homes during peak periods.”

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