Akaysha Energy, the battery storage developer backed by United States-based investment giant BlackRock, has announced that its 205 MW / 410 MWh Brendale battery energy storage system (BESS) in Queensland’s southeast is now fully operational.
Melbourne-based Akaysha said the battery, located near Powerlink’s South Pine substation in Brisbane’s northern suburbs, will play a key role in supporting Queensland’s energy storage needs, helping to enhance grid stability and support the integration of more renewable energy.
The Brendale battery, that utilises Tesla Megapack 2 technology with grid-forming capability, is designed to provide ancillary services, energy arbitrage and frequency control services in the National Electricity Market (NEM).
The facility is underpinned by a long-term offtake agreement with commodities trading company Guvnor Group. Akaysha said the battery revenue swap agreement provides revenue certainty for the asset while allowing the company to optimise operations and respond to market signals.
“The functionality of the BESS, combined with the Guvnor offtake agreement will ensure consumers have reliable energy when they need it, at an affordable price,” Akaysha Chief Executive Officer Nick Carter said.
The operational milestone comes four months after the Brendale battery was first registered in AEMO’s Market Management System, signalling readiness for commissioning and testing against its generator performance standards (GPS), and 17 months after construction commenced, and close to five months ahead of schedule.
“Bringing the Brendale BESS online ahead of schedule is a massive achievement for the entire team Carter said.
Consolidated Power Projects Australia was responsible for delivering the balance of plant while Wilson Transformers supplied the transformers.
The Brendale battery is Akaysha’s second completed battery project, following the delivery last month of the 155 MW / 298 MWh Ulinda Park Phase 1 battery in Queensland’s Western Downs region.
Akaysha is also building the 850 MW / 1,680 MWh Waratah Super Battery that is nearing completion on the New South Wales (NSW) Central Coast. The first 350 MW / 700 MWh of the battery is already online with the remaining capacity expected to come online during 2026.
Other projects in its pipeline include the 415 MW / 1,660 MWh Orana battery in the central west region of NSW, and the 400 MW / 1,600 MWh Glenrowan and 315 MW / 1,244 MWh Elaine battery projects in Victoria.
The company’s Queensland projects include the 400 MW / 1,600 MWh Halys and Wurdong battery energy storage systems, and it is proposing to build a 100 MW / 200 MWh battery near Palmerston in Tasmania.
In South Australia, the company has plans to develop the 200 MW / 800 MWh Mobilong battery energy storage system, and a 250 MW / 1,000 MWh battery and 200 MWp solar farm near Brinkworth in the state’s mid-north region.
Akaysha, acquired by investment giant Blackrock in 2022, also has a portfolio of battery projects in the pipeline in the US, Japan and Germany,
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