EnergyAustralia confirmed it has secured New South Wales (NSW) government approval to undertake vital site surveys which will further inform the detailed design of the proposed Mt Piper Battery Energy Storage System being developed near Lithgow in the state’s central west.
The battery, that will have up to 500 MW of capacity and a duration of up to four hours of dispatchable energy, is to be located adjacent to EnergyAustralia’s 1.4 GW coal-fired Mt Piper power station that is set to close in 2040 at the latest.
EnergyAustralia said the battery, first announced late last year, will utilise the existing electricity and transmission infrastructure and will help to improve diversity and reliability of the electricity network as coal generation retires and more renewables enter the system.
“Energy storage projects, such as this one, are an important part of the national transition to a more secure and reliable energy future,” the company said.
“It will store excess energy generated by renewables and release it to customers when needed, providing critical firming support to the NSW energy market.”
While the Mt Piper project is in the early stages of assessment and planning, EnergyAustralia, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hong Kong-based energy company CLP Group, has previously said if approved, the battery could be operational by the end of 2026.
If the Mt Piper battery project proceeds it will be the second EnergyAustralia-owned battery energy storage system under development.
EnergyAustralia has committed to building a four-hour utility-scale battery of 350 MW capacity on the site of its gas-fired Jeeralang power station at Hazelwood North in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley.
The Wooreen Energy Storage System is scheduled to be commissioned by the end of 2026, ahead of Yallourn’s planned closure in mid-2028.
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