Neoen builds a new giant 500 MWp battery in Australia
Large-scale BESS would reduce the possibility of load shedding and blackout events in the state of New South Wales, especially given the multiple existing coal-fired power plants expected to go out of business within the next decade .
JANUARY 13, 2021 GWÉNAËLLE STANDING UP
Following the Victorian Big Battery, Neoen announced the construction of a new 500 MW / 1000 MWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in Wallerawang, New South Wales. According to the French developer, the project, dubbed "Great Western Battery", would be the largest battery storage project in Australia. Neoen plans to connect its large battery to the TransGrid 330kV substation that previously served the Wallerawang coal-fired power plant, reusing the existing infrastructure.
The total cost is estimated to be around 300 to 400 million dollars (225 to 330 million euros). Construction of the Great Western Battery is expected to take about a year, which will require a maximum of 150-200 workers. If, as expected, construction can begin by 2022, the battery could be operational by 2023. “The large-scale BESS would reduce the possibility of load shedding and blackout events in the state, by particularly given the many existing coal-fired power plants which should reach the end of their activity in the next decade, ”indicates a study published on December 15, 2020.
Positioning itself to play a key role in the state government's plan to deploy 12 GWp of new renewable energy production capacity within the decade, Neoen asserts that the large battery is the key to unlocking future investments and adoption of renewable energies in the state and resolve the existing limitations of the grid.
Neoen currently operates the world's largest lithium-ion battery in Hornsdale, South Australia. Recently expanded, Hornsdale Power Reserve, also known as Tesla Big Battery, has a capacity of 150 MW / 194 MWh. The Great Western Battery should be at least three times its capacity. In 2020, the company won a contract to build a 300 MW / 450 MWh Victoria large battery on the outskirts of Geelong, as well as a 14-year contract with the Australian Capital Territory.
https://www.pv-magazine.fr/2021/01/13/n ... australie/