Global renewable energy developer and power producer Fotowatio Renewable Ventures’ (FRV) Australian platform said it would install the $125 million Terang Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in Victoria’s Western District after being granted $7 million in funding from the state’s Energy Innovation Fund.
FRV, which will build and operate the facility, said the Terang BESS will feature lithium-ion phosphate technology with 100 MW of energy storage capacity and two hours of duration. The battery storage system is to be coupled with grid-forming inverters, providing flexibility to the grid by storing excess electricity and dispatching it at times of high demand or grid instability.
FRV said the battery, to be built on a 1.4-hectare next to the existing terminal station at Terang in Victoria’s Western District, about 200 kilometres southwest of Melbourne, will support the state government’s efforts to achieve its renewable energy target of 50% by 2030.
Originally developed by Melbourne-based ACEnergy, the project received approval from the state government in 2021. FRV told local media this week it would continue to work with ACEnergy on finalising the permitting and connection of the project.
It is anticipated that works on site are expected will start in the second half of 2023 with the battery expected to be switched on by the end of 2024.
Image: FRV
The project marks a milestone for FRV in Australia. The company has been active in the Australian market since 2013, delivering ~800 MW of operational PV assets across nine projects, but the Terang BESS shapes as its first standalone battery energy storage system.
FRV has already commenced construction 5 MW solar-storage hybrid power plant near Dalby in southern Queensland. The $60 million Dalby Hybrid Power Plant will comprise 2.4 MW of solar PV capacity and a 2.5 MW/5 MWh battery.
“This is one of FRV Australia most advanced BESS projects expected to be built over the next few years,” FRV Australia chief executive officer Carlo Frigerio said. “We are delighted to receive support from the Victorian government and enable the transition to a reliable renewable system with grid-forming inverters battery systems.”
Frigerio said FRV is pursuing other energy storage projects, including a 5 MW solar-storage hybrid power plant near Dalby in southern Queensland. Work has already started on the $60 million Dalby Hybrid Power Plant which will comprise 2.4 MW of solar PV capacity and a 2.5 MW/5 MWh battery.
The Terang BESS announcement comes just days after the Victorian government announced it would target 2.6 GW of renewable energy storage capacity by 2030, and 6.3 GW by 2035.
That was followed by Edify Energy announcing it had secured $119 million from the state government’s $540 million Renewable Energy Zone Fund to help finance the 125 MW/250 MWh Koorangie battery energy storage system and grid-forming inverter being installed between Bendigo and Red Cliffs, in the state’s north west.
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.
By submitting this form you agree to pv magazine using your data for the purposes of publishing your comment.
Your personal data will only be disclosed or otherwise transmitted to third parties for the purposes of spam filtering or if this is necessary for technical maintenance of the website. Any other transfer to third parties will not take place unless this is justified on the basis of applicable data protection regulations or if pv magazine is legally obliged to do so.
You may revoke this consent at any time with effect for the future, in which case your personal data will be deleted immediately. Otherwise, your data will be deleted if pv magazine has processed your request or the purpose of data storage is fulfilled.
Further information on data privacy can be found in our Data Protection Policy.