NSW Riverina in store for 100 MW / 200 MWh big battery

The New South Wales (NSW) South West has a lot in store for it with the announcement of a 100 MW / 200 MWh lithium-ion battery project in Murrumbidgee Shire. The project, known as the Riverina Energy Storage System (RESS) will be the product of an agreement between Edify and Shell Energy after the two companies signed a long-term services agreement to deliver the battery.

RESS is set to connect into TransGrid’s network at the Darlington Point Substation, where it will work to add flexibility to the NSW electricity market and aid the growing presence of renewable energy projects in the region.

The agreement will see the battery partitioned, with 60 MW / 120 MWh operational rights going to Shell Energy. Shell Energy CEO Greg Joiner said “Shell Energy recognises that batteries have an important role to play in transitioning to and managing risk in a lower carbon energy future.”

“This long-term services agreement is a model for how large energy users can access dispatchable power like battery storage, which complements renewables” continued Joiner, “while contributing to a cleaner and more resilient power system. Shell Energy was pleased to select Edify as its battery energy storage partner in this collaborative approach to meeting the NSW Government’s need for an innovative power solution.”

Of course, innovative power solutions are key for emissions reductions targets at both the state and federal level. Edify Chief Executive, John Cole, noted that large-scale batteries like the RESS are integral to energy firming “in our brave new world of renewables”.

“Energy storage is fast becoming a valued capacity solution for the NEM,” Cole added, “given its fast and precise response. The uncertainties in this growing technology class are reducing and with it the barriers to acceptance from market and network participants. We are proud to be leading the advancement of batteries to shore up the renewable energy market and to increase the availability of clean, green, low-cost, dispatchable electricity.”

The RESS is another addition to the growing line of big batteries in the pipeline for the NEM, and that number is only going to increase with the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) proposing a new rule in April to bring new, ultra-fast frequency services into the NEM, services that will come largely from batteries.