Akaysha Energy had a planning application for its Palmerston battery energy storage system (BESS) south of Launceston, unanimously approved by Northern Midlands Council in November 2023 – subject to state and local provisions. The project was approved only four months after its submission to council. It also came a month before Northern Midlands Council also approved the construction of the TasRex 288 MW Northern Midlands Solar Farm (NMSF).
The Palmerston BESS will sit adjacent to the NMSF which will also include a DC-coupled battery sized at 345.9 MW / 691.7 MWh BESS. It is also located close to the overhead 15 km 220 kV transmission line, connecting the farm to the nearby Palmerston Substation.
Council documents reveal that the Akaysha-owned BESS will comprise two dedicated areas on site, with multiple lithium-ion battery units connected in series. The batteries systems are the 3 MWh Tesla Megapack containerised unit. It will also include a 33 kV underground reticulation, also to the Palmerston Substation.
Cogency Australia, a climate change focussed consultancy that prepared Akaysha’s submission to council, announced the news on LinkedIn last week, highlighting a successful community engagement program, which saw no objection to the project, the consultancy reports.
“The BESS project did not receive work, objections and slated the swift approvals down to robust design, detailed technical work and comprehensive stakeholder engagement,” a Cogency spokesperson said.
Council concluded the proposed use and development of the Palmerston BESS will contribute to the Northern Midlands Council and Tasmania’s social, economic and climate goals, including the 200% Tasmanian Renewable Energy Target (TRET) by supporting the continued expansion of the local economy and increased renewable energy generation.
“By providing support for the further integration of renewable energy resources into the electricity grid, the Palmerston BESS proposal can support climate change action through reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the energy sector,” the council papers said.
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