Northern Territory government-owned utility Territory Generation has awarded remote and off-grid power specialist Pacific Energy a contract to install a combined 33.5 MW / 81 MWh of battery energy storage capacity across the Alice Springs and Darwin-Katherine power grids.
Northern Territory Essential Services Minister Steve Edgington said the $82.1 million (USD 58.7 million) investment in battery storage will strengthen energy security, stabilise the grid, and back in more solar in the regions.
“This is about building a modern energy system for the future, one that is reliable, smarter, and more secure. Battery storage is a key piece of that puzzle, helping us integrate more solar while keeping power affordable and reliable,” he said.
The project, part of Territory Generation’s battery energy storage system (BESS) program, will see a 12 MW, four-hour battery valued at $46.5 million installed at the Owen Springs Power Station near Alice Springs to support the town’s remote, isolated power system.
The second battery, a 21.5 MW, one-hour capacity system worth $35.6 million, will be deployed at the Katherine Power Station to support the Darwin-Katherine interconnected power system.
Under the agreement, Pacific will design, manufacture, supply, install and integrate both batteries and will also provide a 10-year service support agreement. The company said Chinese storage manufacturer Narada Power will supply the battery units while Swedish-Swiss multinational ABB will provide the inverter systems.
Pacific, owned by Queensland-based investor QIC, said civil works will commence on the Owen Springs battery in the coming months with design works for the Katherine battery set to get underway soon.
The batteries are planned to come online progressively from 2028 and Pacific Chief Executive Officer Mike Hall said once operational they will enhance system stability and efficiency and enable more solar generation to be connected to the grid.
“This project is about unlocking more solar generation for the Territory while maintaining the reliability and strength of the power system,” he said.
“The BESS will provide essential frequency and voltage control services, and in Alice Springs, the BESS will facilitate energy shifting to support system stability and capacity during minimum and peak demand periods.”
The Owen Springs and Katherine batteries form the next stage of Territory Generation’s BESS program that is aimed at adding more battery energy storage to the utility’s portfolio.
Territory Generation CEO Gerhard Laubscher said the initiative, that has already delivered the 35 MW / 35 MWh Darwin–Katherine BESS 1, is designed to enhance the Northern Territory’s energy infrastructure.
“This essential system services battery program is a critical investment in the future resilience and reliability of the Territory’s power systems, delivering whole‑of‑system benefits by strengthening system stability and improving grid response to sudden changes and unplanned events,” he said.
Edgington said the batteries said the rolling out large-scale batteries is not just about boosting energy security.
“It’s about powering our economy,” he said. “By improving energy security, we’re creating the conditions for new industries and local jobs as part of our plan to rebuild the economy.”
“These large-scale batteries help provide the energy stability investors need to drive new infrastructure projects, and create jobs across the Territory.”
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.
By submitting this form you agree to pv magazine using your data for the purposes of publishing your comment.
Your personal data will only be disclosed or otherwise transmitted to third parties for the purposes of spam filtering or if this is necessary for technical maintenance of the website. Any other transfer to third parties will not take place unless this is justified on the basis of applicable data protection regulations or if pv magazine is legally obliged to do so.
You may revoke this consent at any time with effect for the future, in which case your personal data will be deleted immediately. Otherwise, your data will be deleted if pv magazine has processed your request or the purpose of data storage is fulfilled.
Further information on data privacy can be found in our Data Protection Policy.