Utility Scale Storage

French renewable energy giant Neoen has been given the green light for another grid-scale battery in Australia with Tasmania’s Northern Midlands Council unanimously approving plans for a 280 MW/560 MWh battery energy storage system to be built in the island state’s mid-north.

Australia’s biggest coal miner has inked a major renewable energy deal that will utilise solar, wind and pumped hydro to provide about half the forecasted electricity demand of its central Queensland operations.

One month after formally opening its first operational grid-scale battery at the Torrens Island power station site in South Australia, AGL has confirmed that next month it will begin demolishing the adjacent gas-fired Torrens ‘A’ power plant.

The Western Australian government has awarded contracts for its 500 MW / 2,000 MWh big battery in Collie and the 200 MW / 800 MWh extension to the existing Kwinana battery. China’s CATL is set to deliver the battery units for both projects, while Spain’s Power Electronics will supply inverters.

Lithium-ion batteries are generally safe and unlikely to fail, but they can catch fire if damaged, stored, or operated incorrectly. With calls mounting for development of engineering good practice, US-based Firetrace International suggests three steps that battery manufacturers, developers and operators should take into account.

The Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) has proposed increasing price caps on the country’s main electricity market. This is meant to allow investors to respond to fill gaps created by ageing coal generation.

Fortescue Future Industries (FFI), owned by mining giant Fortescue Metals, has submitted a proposal for a green hydrogen and ammonia production facility project in Canada’s British Columbia. Dubbed ‘Project Coyote’ the facility would be located in the city of Prince George in the centre of the Canadian province.

Japanese company IHI Corporation, which specialises in green ammonia technology to decarbonise industry, has joined the consortium of companies developing the green hydrogen hub HyNQ – North Queensland Clean Energy Project.

Gentari, a subsidiary of Malaysian state-owned oil company Petronas, plans to build between 5 GW to 8 GW of solar, wind and battery projects in Australia by 2030. The ambition follows its acquisition and rebranding of Wirsol Energy, which marked the Malaysian company’s entry into the Australian renewable energy market.

Amp Energy’s 150 MW / 300 MWh battery storage project in Bungama, north of Adelaide, has secured a grid connection agreement with South Australia’s grid operator and owner ElectraNet.