The first of 1,548 battery units have been installed at AGL’s Liddell battery project being developed near Muswellbrook in the Upper Hunter, marking a key milestone for the project that is set to transform the utility’s coal-fired power stations into an integrated energy hub.
The two-hour duration battery, being constructed by South Australian outfit Enerven at the site of the defunct Liddell coal-fired power plant, will feature United States-headquartered storage specialist Fluence’s Gridstack energy storage product teamed with its Nispera asset performance management software.
AGL Site Manager John Moore said the first of the Gridstack units have now been successfully lifted into position.
“Although there are 1,548 batteries to install weighing 8,250 kilograms each, the milestone was celebrated by everyone on site,” he said.
Scheduled for completion in 2026, the Liddell battery will join AGL’s fleet of battery assets which includes the 250 MW Torrens Island battery in South Australia and the 50 MW Broken Hill battery in providing essential storage and firming capacity to the electricity network.
AGL said the grid-forming system, which will connect directly into the National Electricity Market via TransGrid’s existing 330 kV switchyard at Liddell, will efficiently balance the supply of energy from renewable sources, enhancing grid stability and reliability.
“This project will provide support on weak areas of the network by delivering synthetic inertia, as well as other key grid stability services and flexible capacity to meet peak power needs,” it said.
The estimated $750 million project forms part of AGL’s planned Hunter Energy Hub that aims to transform its Hunter Valley coal fired power stations into a major renewable energy and industrial hub.
The proposed hub, set across 10,000 hectares in the Hunter Valley, is to incorporate renewable energy generation, grid-scale batteries, green advanced manufacturing, and associated industries.
AGL’s vision for the hub includes plans to develop solar thermal storage, wind, pumped hydro, and green hydrogen projects, complemented by renewable energy manufacturing and industry.
AGL has already announced a memorandum of understanding with solar cell technology innovator and manufacturer SunDrive Solar to explore the development of a commercial-scale PV manufacturing facility in the region.
It has also struck an agreement with Australian battery recycling startup Renewable Metals to investigate the viability of building a lithium battery recycling facility at the site.
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