Build starts on 240 MW second stage of Origin Energy’s Eraring battery project

Construction of the second stage 240 MW battery at Origin Energy’s Eraring Power Station located 120 kilometres north of Sydney and 40 kilometres south of Newcastle in New South Wales, has officially begun.

October 31, 2024 Ev Foley

Image: Origin

Construction of the $450 million (USD 295.7 million) second stage 1,030 MWh four-hour duration grid-forming battery at the Eraring Power Station has begun.

The second stage will add a 240 MW / 1,030 MWh four-hour duration grid-forming BESS to the 460 MW / 1,073 MWh two-hour duration first stage battery development already under construction, which is anticipated to come online at the end of the 2025 calendar year.

The second stage battery equipment will be supplied by Finnish technology group Wärtsilä using their next-generation energy storage system (ESS), the Quantum High Energy (QuantumHE).

Wärtsilä says the QuantumHE provides increased energy density while lowering equipment costs, expediting the development process and reducing maintenance requirements.

The ESS will operate in virtual synchronous machine (VISMA) mode, enabling short circuit current capabilities such as reactive current, droop control, and synthetic inertia, to support grid stability and security.

These system strength support services will be facilitated by Wärtsilä’s intelligent energy management system, the GEMS Digital Energy Platform.

Finnish technology group Wärtsilä have been engaged to deploy their Quantum High Energy (QuantumHE) energy storage system at the second stage Eraring battery project.
*Image: Wärtsilä*

Balance of Plant Design and Construction services will be provided by South Australia (SA) headquartered renewable energy project management company Enerven, a subsidiary of SA Power Networks.

Lumea, the New South Wales (NSW)-based commercial arm of transmission network service provider (TNSP) Transgrid, will complete the dedicated high voltage (HV) substation works.

Origin has approval to develop a third stage of the battery energy storage system to increase the overall dispatch duration of the 700 MW capacity battery to four hours and retains the option to complete the further development based on supply and demand in the market, and battery component and construction costs.

Construction of the first stage of Origin’s Eraring battery project is underway, and anticipated to be complete in late 2025.
*Origin Energy*

Origin Chief Executive Officer Frank Calabria said the start of second stage construction is another important step in Origin’s transformation of the Eraring site to support the ongoing growth of variable renewable energy in the grid.

“Large scale batteries like the one we are developing at Eraring will play an important role in the energy transition, charging when renewables are abundant and discharging when needed, such as during the evening peak,” Calabria said.

“When fully commissioned in early 2027, the combined energy storage of stage one and stage two of the Eraring batteries will be over 2 GWh. This is just one way Origin is pursuing its ambition to lead the energy transition.”

NSW Member for Lake Macquarie Greg Piper said Eraring Power Station’s connection to the power grid is perfectly positioned to be part of the energy future of the state.

“I’m keen to see that continue, along with the ongoing contribution to the local economy, well after coal generation ends,” Piper said.

The Eraring battery project received initial planning approval from the NSW Department of Planning and Environment in May 2022.

Combined with the stage one battery investment, Origin is spending over $1 billion on battery storage at the site of its only coal-fired generator.

The sod was turned on the second stage of the Eraring Power Station battery energy storage system, on 30 October, 2024.
*Image: Lumea*

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.