Bungama BESS built with Wärtsilä tech starts commercial operations

United-Kingdom (UK)-headquartered clean energy infrastructure company Revera Energy, backed by United States (US) investment firm the Carlyle Group, has kicked off commercial operations of its 150 MW / 300 MWh Bungama Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) Stage 1.

Carlyle extended a $213 million (USD 150 million) line of credit to Revera in February 2026, to fast-track Revera’s BESS and green hydrogen project pipeline in Australia and the UK, some of which supports the Bungama BESS, and a 158 MW portfolio of solar farms in New South Wales (NSW).

The Bungama BESS is also part of Revera’s accelerated development of a 1,000 MW battery storage portfolio in Australia, with Stage 1 of its SA-based 250 MW / 1,000 MWh Robertstown BESS scheduled to achieve financial close and issue notice to proceed (NTP) in Q4 2026.

Revera’s Chief Executive Officer, Daniel Kim said commercial operation of Bungama BESS is a significant achievement for the company.

“It marks a crucial step in our mission to build, own, and operate a high-quality independent power platform in Australia and the UK, and accelerate the energy transition.” 

The project is supported by a long-term service agreement from Wärtsilä to ensure performance throughout the lifecycle of the installation. 

Wärtsilä technology

Located approximately 6 kilometres east of Port Pirie and 220 kilometres north of Adelaide, South Australia (SA), Stage 1 of the multi-stage Bungama BESS utilises Finland-headquartered battery manufacturer Wärtsilä’s GridSolve Quantum High Energy (HE) technology.

According to Wärtsilä, which has a BESS portfolio in Australia that now exceeds 6 GWh, the tech features advanced safety architecture and a high energy-density design.

The grid-connected site is orchestrated by Wärtsilä’s GEMS platform, which fine-tunes operations in real time and provides rapid frequency response with millisecond-level accuracy enabling excess renewable energy capture and essential grid services support, including frequency control ancillary services (FCAS), fast frequency response, and energy arbitrage.

Wärtsilä Energy Storage Vice President Don Lee said delivering the first stage of the Bungama energy storage system in one of the world’s most dynamic renewable markets demonstrates what advanced technology and deep system collaboration can achieve.

“This project shows how storage can be deployed at pace to support regions operating at the frontier of the energy transition, helping to stabilise the grid and ensure more secure, reliable energy for local communities,” Lee said.