South Australia is in line for another big battery using Tesla Powerpack technology to be installed at Infigen Energy’s 278.5 MW Lake Bonney Wind Farm.
Infigen has entered into funding agreements with the South Australian Government and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) to underpin the approximately $38 million development. The SA Government and ARENA have each committed $5 million in grant funding ($10 million in total).
Construction activities are expected to commence in the coming weeks.
The storage system allows Infigen to firm at least an additional 18 MW of power depending on the customer load profile.
“With the firming capability of the BESS (battery energy storage system) Infigen will be able to expand its supply contracts from the Lake Bonney Wind Farm to additional commercial and industrial customers in South Australia, which is at the heart of our business strategy,” says Ross Rolfe, Chief Executive Office of Infigen.
Infigen will build and operate the facility which will be connected to grid via the Mayurra substation, near Mount Gambier in the state’s south east.
The battery will deliver flexible capacity and system security services, such as Frequency Control Ancillary Services (FCAS), to the electricity grid in South Australia.
“It is clear that grid scale batteries have an important role in stabilizing the grid,” ARENA Chief Executive Officer Ivor Frischknecht said.
“The co-location of a battery with a wind farm provides an opportunity for Infigen to pursue regulatory changes that could improve revenue outcomes for grid-scale batteries, helping to becoming more competitive,” Mr Frischknecht said.
South Australia is already home to the world’s largest battery – a 100/129 MWh system installed at the Hornsdale wind farm, which may be surpassed in size by SIMEC Zen Energy’s 120 MW/140 MWh battery project, announced as part of its 1 GW dispatchable renewable energy program.
Meanwhile, the largest battery project built in conjunction with a solar farm in South Australia is the 21 MW/26 MWh battery system coupled with a 44 MW solar project near Snowtown.
Other sizable Tesla batteries can be found in Victoria: a 25 MW/50 MWh battery coupled with the 60 MW Gannawarra solar farm near Kerang and a 20 MW battery, at the 204 MW Bulgana Green Power Hub.
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