Pacific Green unveils 1.5 GWh big battery plans for South Oz

Pacific Green has unveiled plans to develop what would be South Australia’s largest grid-scale battery energy storage system with the proposed Limestone Coast Energy Park to comprise a 500 MW, three-hour (1.5 GWh) battery energy storage system.

The company said it expects to commence construction in 2024 having secured exclusive rights to a site adjacent to the 275 kVA South East Substation near Mount Gambier, about 400 kilometres southeast of Adelaide. Pacific Green said the site is “strategically located” with the substation linking to the Heywood Interconnector that connects the electricity grids in South Australia and Victoria.

Joel Alexander, managing director of Pacific Green’s Australian arm, said the big battery will “significantly strengthen” the region’s grid stability and increase the flow of renewable energy between South Australia and Victoria.

“Our Limestone Coast Battery Energy Park can act as a load during the day, increasing the viability of even more solar and wind generation, whilst shifting energy to the times it is most valuable in the evening peak,” he said.

The Limestone Coast battery project is currently going through the approvals process and Pacific Green said once operational, the facility will have the capacity to store nearly 60% of South Australia’s residential solar output for up to a four-hour period.

“This momentum allows us to accelerate progress towards South Australia achieving 100% net renewables by 2030,” Alexander said.

The Limestone Coast Energy Park development is the first of several proposed battery projects Pacific Green has planned for Australia with the company aiming to build a “multi-gigawatt platform” that will be deployed across the country.

The second of those projects is likely to be built at Portland in Victoria with Pacific Green confirming it has secured the project rights to develop a 1 GW/2.5 GWh battery energy storage system in the state’s southwest.

The company said it has entered into an exclusivity agreement to secure land for the project with development approval expected to begin early in 2024. It is anticipated construction of the Portland Energy Park will commence later that year, with the battery to begin operations in 2026.

“Since launching Pacific Green’s Australian office in Melbourne last year, we have initially focused on building an experienced management team to create our platform,” Alexander said.

“By acquiring this site and project rights, we have now positioned Pacific Green to become one of the largest battery park developers in the Southern Hemisphere.”

Pacific Green’s Limestone Coast Energy Park announcement comes after Danish investment group Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) unveiled its plans to build the 240 MW/480 MWh Summerfield Battery Energy Storage System in South Australia’s Murraylands region.

The two companies are among a host of international players exploring battery energy storage opportunities in Australia, including BlackRock’s Akaysha Energy, Macquarie’s Eku Energy, Spanish energy major Iberdrola, and French renewable energy giants Neoen and Engie.