New two-hour big battery soaking up rooftop solar in Brisbane suburbs completes testing process

The 200MW/400MWh Greenbank Battery project in Logan in south east Queensland has kicked off commercial operations, according to developer CS Energy, including regularly charging and discharging to support market requirements.

Queensland government owned generator CS Energy said on Thursday that the two-hour battery, comprising 108 Tesla Megapack 2XL units, started commercial operations last month in its role soaking up excess solar and boosting the reliability the local grid.

“The battery has gone through a rigorous testing and commissioning process, which was similar to the approach used for the Chinchilla Battery,” said CS Energy chief Brian Gillespie. 

“CS Energy also undertook a detailed operational readiness program, which included employee training, critical risk assessments, and safety and design reviews. 

“Thank you to local residents who attended community updates held by our team during the construction phase. I would like to reaffirm our commitment to being a good neighbour now that we are in the operations phase.” 

Image: CS Energy

CS Energy built the two-hour big battery adjacent to Powerlink’s Greenbank sub-station on the south-side of Brisbane, as part of a “battery blitz” launched in the wake of an explosion at the Callide coal generator back in 2021.

Greenbank is CS Energy’s second grid-scale battery energy storage system (BESS), following the commissioning of its Chinchilla BESS in 2024.

It was the also state’s biggest when first announced, but has since been surpassed by a number of projects, namely Neoen’s 270 MW / 540 MWh Western Downs Battery, which started the energisation process in June of 2024.

A second stage for the Western Downs project, announced in August 2024, will double its size to 540 MW and 1080 MWh.

CS Energy says it worked with Tesla, Consolidated Power Projects, and Powerlink Queensland to deliver the Greenbank Battery. Two experienced “operator maintainers” have been employed in permanent, on-site roles to support operation of the BESS.