Queensland-headquartered Ark Energy, has signed a supply agreement with Seoul-headquartered Hanwha Energy for the battery energy storage system (BESS) at Ark’s proposed Richmond Valley hybrid solar battery project in New South Wales (NSW).
Signed on 12 March 2025, the contract is for Hanwha to manufacture, deliver and install a lithium iron phosphate battery with a power capacity of 275 MW and energy storage capacity of up to 2,200 megawatt hours over eight hours.
Located 25 kilometres south of Casino, in the Northern Rivers region of NSW and 700 kilometres north of Sydney, the 500 MW solar and 275 MW / 2,200 MWh (BESS) project will also see Hanwha supply inverters and commissioning services.
Image: Ark Energy
The Richmond Valley project was awarded a long-term energy service agreement (LTESA) under the NSW Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap’s (EIR) incentive scheme in 2023.
Ark Energy conducted a yearlong bidding process to select a BESS supplier for the project and identified Hanwha Energy as the preferred bidder in November 2024.
The BESS is due to be delivered in 2026 and Ark Energy aims for the project to commence commercial operations by 2027.
Richmond Valley Solar and BESS has been nominated for a federal Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) and Energy and Climate Change Ministerial Council (ECMC)’s national renewable energy priority list.
Announced on 10 March 2025, the inaugural list identifies 56 priority projects considered important for Australia’s energy transition, 32 for generation and storage projects, and 24 for transmission.
The priority list adopts a ‘faster to yes, faster to no’ approach, where projects receive additional support and facilitation through regulatory and environmental processes.
Richmond Valley is expected to be one of the largest energy storage projects in NSW and will support the electricity needs of NSW consumers and enhance grid stability of the state’s energy network.
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