Samsung seeks green tick for urban big battery, proposed for out the back of a rural Queensland home

A new big battery has joined the queue for federal environmental approval, in this case a proposal to install a 200 MW battery energy storage system (BESS) on the fringe of an urban area south of Townsville, in Queensland – in the backyard of an existing home.

According to referral documents, the Block BESS would be located on a 15.83 ha site which is currently used for a rural residential use, with a dwelling house established on the eastern half of the Lot.

The plans – referred to the EPBC by Samsung C&T Renewable Energy Australia, a subsidiary of the South Korean Samsung Group – say the BESS would be located directly behind the dwelling, on undeveloped, maintained land in the northwest section of the Lot.

“The existing dwelling will remain on the freehold site, with the BESS operating under a lease agreement with the landowner,” the documents say.

“The BESS will store excess electricity, including from nearby renewable projects to the south of the site, which will be available for export back to the grid during periods of peak energy demand.

“The BESS aims to improve the stability and reliability of the electricity network, including during emergencies.”

According to the plans, the project site is located at 37-39 Carbine Court, Kelso, around 19 km from the Townsville city centre.

The site is designated within the Rural Residential Zone, but does not directly adjoin any areas of this zone and is “effectively isolated and substantially setback from dwellings.”

The proposed site for the battery also adjoins an electricity easement and the Ross River Substation, the documents say.

“The site currently contains a dwelling house and ancillary storage sheds, access and manoeuvring areas. The site is exclusively of a residential use, with much of the site, whilst undeveloped, regularly maintained by slashing/mowing.

“The proposed development would see BESS established directly northwest (behind) the existing dwelling house. The existing dwelling will be sufficiently separated from the proposed BESS, including by an acoustic wall, and will continue to be inhabited.

“Both the dwelling house and the BESS will share a portion of driveway, which will be the only shared component between the two uses.”

The EPBC referral notes that the site was selected partly because of the “clearly modified and degraded nature of the site,” as well as the proximity to existing major electrical infrastructure such as the adjoining substation and high voltage transmission lines.