Wind farm battery built six years ago finally gets licence to operate

A small battery storage system built six years ago – one of the first on Australia’s main grid – has finally won regulatory approval to begin operations.

The Lincoln Gap wind farm, located about 15 kms west of Port Augusta in South Australia, was one of the first major renewable energy projects to be built close to the city’s coal fired power stations that were finally closed in early 2026.

But the 212 megawatt (MW) ran into problems – and subsequent heavy delays – when its main supplier, Senvion, hit financial difficulties and the then owner Nexif Energy had to turn to another provide before contracting Vestas to provide nearly half of the capacity.

That caused delays and issues revolving around the grid connection process, but the most affected was the 10 MW, 10 MWh battery that was completed by Fluence in 2019, but had to wait until last month to get its licence to operate.

The Lincoln Gap battery would have been one of the first, if not the first, to operate “behind the meter” in Australia, helping to smooth out the output in changing conditions and tap into the frequency control and ancillary services market. It was hailed at the time as the first “unsubsidised” battery in the country.

The details of the problems were not revealed, but it is understood that the issues surrounded complications with the generator performance standard, which is notoriously difficult in Australia. Fluence, meanwhile, has built a number of much bigger battery projects in Australia that are already operating, or are under construction.

The generation licence approval was announced on Tuesday by the Essential Services Commission of South Australia. The current owner Ratch Australia still has plans for a 252 MW extension to the Lincoln Gap wind farm, and a bigger 100 MW battery, with as yet unrevealed storage duration.

The current project, combining the 212 MW of Senvion and Vestas turbines, which were finally commissioned in 2022, along with the 10 MW, 10 MWh battery, has an export limit of 208 MW.

Renew Economy reached out to Fluence and Ratch Australia, but did not hear back before publication.