Image: Enervest
Australian energy storage developer Enervest has added another shovel-ready big battery to its growing energy storage portfolio, after acquiring a New South Wales project with state approval for development on the border with Queensland.
Enervest said on Monday that it has bought the “strategically located” 300 megawat (MW), up to four-hour Northern Border Battery (NBB) from an undisclosed Sydney-based developer that does not wish to be named.
The project comes with NSW Department of Planning, Housing & Infrastructure approval for construction around 16km south of Bonshaw, next to – but a separate project from – the 100 MW Bonshaw solar farm.
Enervest says the project has started early site works and is currently advancing through the connection application process with Transgrid and Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) – construction of the battery is expected to start in early 2028.
The company’s website says the battery will have the capacity for up to four hours of storage (1,200 megawatt-hours), but a company spokesperson says the project’s duration is yet to be determined.
The company says the new battery energy storage system (BESS) will connect into the Dumaresq substation and play a critical role safeguarding grid reliability, flexibility and security, as New South Wales closes down its remaining coal plants.
“The acquisition of the Northern Border Battery represents a very significant milestone in Enervest’s long-term own-and-operate strategy and underscores our focus on attractive, high quality, investible projects that deliver lasting benefits,” Enervest CEO Ross Warby said on Monday.
“With a strong foundation established, we’re now delivering this project at pace to enhance grid resilience and support the next phase of the National Electricity Market as legacy generation exits the system.
“Community is at the heart of everything we do and we’re looking forward to listening to, and working closely with, Indigenous communities, local councils, and community groups to ensure the Enervest Northern Border Battery delivers lasting social, economic, and cultural outcomes for the region.”
Enervest currently has 10 utility-scale batteries under development, according to its website, including the 125 MW and up to 1,000 megawatt-hour (MWh) Stoney Creek BESS in Narrabri, that it is developing with Energy Vault. It also has a portfolio of sub-5 MW distribution-scale batteries under development.
In October 2024, Warby said the Stoney Creek project was one of a batch of front-runners vying to be the Melbourne-based company’s first big battery to get built.
“We’re a small business doing big things,” Warby told Renew Economy at the time, noting that the company’s many years in the rooftop PV sector has give it the “gumption and grit required for good development.”
“Our intention is to be here long term … to hold assets and operate them over the long term, at least for the time being. Certainly, the genesis is in our distributed energy business [which is front of meter PV and BESS], and that’s pollinating up into our utility business at the moment as well,” he said.
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