Australian renewable energy developer Syncline Energy announced its plan for a battery storage project called Melton Renewable Energy Hub in Victoria, with a planned capacity of 600 megawatts (MW), or 2,400 megawatt-hours (MWh), and a duration of four hours, as reported by Renew Economy on August 10. As supporting facilities, the hub will also build a 12.5 megawatt-peak (MWp) solar farm to supply ancillary cold loads and ensure the operation with low cost and net zero. The hub covers more than 90 hectares of land and will start operating in 3Q23. In addition, Syncline suggested locating the project near AusNet Services’ Sydenham terminal station, with an aim to connect it into the state’s 500 kilovolt (kV) transmission line.

The battery storage in Australia has not caught up with the fast development of green energy in the country. As to this May, the installed wind power capacity amounted to 8,815MW, leading in Australia’s renewable energy, followed by 7,992MW of hydropower and 5,203MW of solar power. However, the amount of installed battery storage is only 261MW at present. Many renewable energy suppliers have noticed the gap and take action to build large-size battery projects in Australia. It is estimated that Australia’s battery storage capacity will exceed 12.8 gigawatts (GW) in 2030.

Currently, the largest battery storage project in the country is French energy company Neoen’s 300MW/450MWh Victoria Big Battery, which is under construction. AGL Energy disclosed in November 2020 that the company was preparing for a 250MWh battery storage project in Torrens Island and another 200MW/800MWh project in Victoria. Coupled with a 400MWh battery storage project in New South Wales (NSW) and a 150MWh big battery in Queensland, AGL will have big battery facilities in all four mainland states in the country. This March, another renewables developer, EnergyAustralia, was planning to replace its 1,480MW coal plant with a 350MW/1,400MWh battery storage project by the end of 2026 in Victoria.

Sources:

https://reneweconomy.com.au/syncline-unveils-2400mwh-big-battery-storage-project-near-melbourne/

https://www.globalenergyworld.com/news/sustainable-energy/2020/11/23/agl-add-200mw-big-battery-with-four-hours-storage-at-loy-yang-coal-plant

https://renewablesnow.com/news/energyaustralia-to-build-350-mw-battery-close-coal-plant-in-victoria-734617/

https://www.statista.com/statistics/984457/australia-installed-energy-capacity-in-nem-by-source/

https://www.pv-magazine.com/2021/05/31/australias-energy-storage-installed-base-to-grow-more-than-five-times-by-2030/