New five-hour battery reaches financial close, next to existing gas generator in renewable hotspot

EnergyAustralia, one of the country’s big three private energy utilities, has reached financial close on its second big battery project, which will piggy-pack on the connection of an existing gas generator at the site.

The Hallett battery, located 210 kms north of Adelaide, will initially be sized at 50 megawatts (MW) and 245 megawatt hours (MWh), making it a five hour battery, although it has approval to add another 150 MW of capacity (and more storage) to the site.

Construction starts in two weeks and it will be built next to the existing 230 MW Hallett gas generator, and tap into the existing electricity infrastructure at the site.

David Nugent, the head of trading and transition at EnergyAustralia, says the project has moved from concept to investment decision in less than two years, an unusually fast timeframe for a project of this scale. 

“This project shows how existing sites can play an important role in the energy transition,” Nugent says. “By building the battery at Hallett, we’re making use of infrastructure that is already there, supporting local jobs and strengthening South Australia’s power system at the same time.”

EnergyAustralia, like its big rivals Origin and AGL, is particularly keen on building up its battery storage portfolio. EA has done it mostly through off take agreements – with the likes of the Ballarat, Ganawarra, Darlington and other batteries.

It is also building the large 350 MW, 1,400 MWh Woreen battery in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley, and has announced plans to build a 500 MW, 2,000 MWh facility next to its Mt Piper coal generator in NSW.

Nugent says that by operating in a complementary role alongside the existing 235MW gas-fired power station, the battery strengthens the site’s role as a flexible energy hub.

It can provide fast, flexible storage to support renewable generation and enable the peaking gas plant to continue providing firm capacity during periods of sustained demand.

South Australia leads the country – and the world – in the penetration of wind and solar, with a near 75 per cent share over the last 12 months and a goal of reaching 100 per cent net renewables by the end of 2027.

The region around Hallett features a number of large wind projects and a growing number of big batteries. The Hallett battery has secured support under the federal government’s Capacity Investment Scheme

EnergyAustralia has chosen NHOA to provide the battery technology – it also was the supplier for the recently completed Blyth battery in South Australia.

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

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