Neoen begins construction of another big battery, first in world to deploy Tesla Megablock technology

Neoen Australia says it has begun construction of a new big battery project in South Australia, which will also be the first project in the world to deploy the new Tesla Megablock product, the next generation of the company’s grid-scale battery tech.

The new battery is the 226 megawatt (MW), 866 megawatt hour (MWh) Goyder battery, which is already a significant project because it underpins a landmark contract – along with the neighbouring wind farm – to supply power to BHP’s giant Olympic Dam mining operations.

Neoen, which remains the country’s most successful builder and operator of battery storage projects in Australia, kicked off its partnership with Tesla with the world’s very first large scale battery at Hornsdale in South Australia in 2017.

It was also the first to deploy grid forming inverters at scale, at the same site, which are now considered an essential element of the transition from coal to renewables because of the critical system services that they can deliver.

Tesla unveiled its Megablock product in September, and it combines four Megapack 3 units into a single deployable block offering 20 MWh units, each with an integrated transformer and switchgear.

Tesla says this will translate into faster installations and lower costs for grid-level storage, up to 40 per cent cheaper, which is significant for a technology that has already been enjoying sharply lower battery cell prices over the last two years.

The plunging price of battery storage has had a significant impact on the energy transition, particularly in Australia, with deployment forecasts completely changed as solar-battery hybrid projects come to the fore, soon to be followed by wind and battery hybrids.

Neoen says Goyder North is its third project to move into construction in the last three months, following the go-ahead for the third stage of the Western Downs battery in Queensland, that will double in size to 2,300 MWh, and the 164 MW/905 MWh Muchea battery in Western Australia, its first six hour battery project.

“Goyder Battery takes Neoen’s contribution to South Australia past 1.3 GW of capacity, supporting the state in its world-leading >70% renewables penetration,” it said in a LinkedIn post.

“This marks our 3rd project moving into construction in 3 months – a fantastic reflection of the determination and esprit de corps in the Neoen team and of our strong working relationship with contractors in the industry. Congratulations to all involved!”

South Australia aims to reach 100 per cent “net” renewables by 2027, and Neoen plays a key role in this, with the 315 MW Hornsdale wind farm, the 412.5 MW Goyder South wind farm, and the 300 MW Goyder North wind project. It also operates the Hornsdale battery and the Blyth battery, and is now building the Goyder battery.

Neoen will supply 70 per cent of the electricity needs of BHP’s Olympic Dam mining province with two landmark “baseload” renewables contracts that are served by Goyder South and Blyth for one 70 MW component, and by Goyder North and the Goyder battery for a further 100 MW.

The Goyder battery has planning approval for up to 900 MW of capacity and 3,600 MWh, and with the potential increase in size of the Goyder North and Goyder South wind farms, as well as the possible addition of large scale solar, could form part of the country’s largest hybrid project.

See Renew Economy’s Big Battery Storage Map of Australia for more information.

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