W.A. nearly doubles grid storage as second Kwinana battery finished and wind and solar hit record highs

The Western Australia government has announced the completion of the second big battery at Kwinana, south of Perth, with the $661 million facility expected to be switched on before Christmas to help soak up midday solar and feed it back into the grid in the evening peak.

The second stage of the Kwinana battery – owned by the state owned utility Synergy – is sized at 200 MW and 800 MWh, and will add to the 100 MW, 200 MWh first stage that was completed last year and was the first big battery to be built on the state’s main grid.

The addition of the second stage Kwinana battery will nearly double the storage capacity on the grid, following the recent commissioning of the 219 MW, 878 MWh first stage of Neoen’s Collie battery.

But total storage will triple again within the next two years as the Neoen Collie battery grows to be the country’s biggest at 560 MW and 2,240 MWh, and is joined by Synergy’s separate 500 MW, 2,000 MWh Collie battery, Alinta’s 100 MW, 200 MWh Wagerup battery, and the soon to be complete 50 MW, 200 MWh solar battery at Cunderdin.

 State energy minister Reece Whitby says the Kwinana stage two comprises 288 shipping container-sized battery modules (featuring CATL technology), along with 72 inverter units.

“It won’t just soak up excess rooftop solar and onshore wind during the day – it will provide electricity in the evening, when the sun doesn’t shine, and the wind doesn’t blow,” Whitby said in a statement.

“As we continue to retire State-owned coal-fired power, large-scale storage will play a critical role in enabling a smooth transition and backs in households seeking to benefit from rooftop solar.”

The last of the state’s coal fired power stations are expected to retire by the end of the decade, although the exact timing may depend on the amount of new wind and solar capacity that is added to the grid.

W.A. is regarded as the world’s biggest isolated grid – with peak demand of more than 4 GW – and Whitby highlighted last week’s record of 85.1 per cent wind and solar share in a grid that has no links to other grids.

Premier Roger Cook said investing in battery systems – the state is seeking another 500 MW and 2,000 MWh of battery storage as part of the federal government’s Capacity Investment Scheme – means that the state can continue to drive up its renewable energy share, including from increased rooftop solar, and guarantees affordable and reliable energy.

“We’re smashing renewable energy records because of our Labor Government’s significant investment into the energy transition,” he said.

“The Kwinana big batteries will play a vital role in keeping our energy system reliable and stable, allowing us to bring on more renewable energy and sensibly phase out coal by 2030.”

For more information, see Renew Economy’s Big Battery Storage Map of Australia.