Qld battery to be upsized as storage investments soar

afr.com:

French renewables and storage developer Neoen has decided to increase the size of its large battery under construction in Queensland by 35 per cent in a further sign of the surge of investment in capacity that supports the push to weather-dependent wind and solar.

The Western Downs battery in Queensland will now be built to a capacity of 270 megawatts of power and 540 megawatt-hours of storage, meaning the plant will be able to supply at full capacity for two hours.

Neoen also owns the Victorian Big Battery outside Geelong. 

The plant, which is being installed at the site of Neoen’s Western Downs solar project, was originally planned at 200MW and 400MWh, also involving two hours of storage at full output. But Neoen, which already has two batteries in Australia in operation and another three under construction, said a larger capacity now made sense given the increasing need for storage and grid-related services in Queensland’s expected quickening transition to low-carbon energy.

“With its greater capacity, the battery intends to play an even more central role in Queensland’s rapidly accelerating energy transition,” it said, adding that it would provide network services to the Queensland grid, including providing “firming” for renewables, frequency control and other services that help keep the power system stable.

Paul Simshauser, chief executive of Queensland grid owner Powerlink, said the expanded battery “will help keep the grid in a secure operating state”.

The decision adds to the rush of investment commitments to new large batteries across Australia, in recognition of the importance of energy storage to help smooth the supply of power from a grid that is becoming increasingly reliant on intermittent wind and solar