South Australia

Construction of Australia’s largest electricity transmission project continues to roll on with network operator ElectraNet announcing it has achieved more than 70% completion of the South Australian component of the 900-kilometre EnergyConnect project that will link power grids across three states.

Clean energy investor Global Sustainable Energy Opportunities expects to gain access to additional revenue streams in Australia’s National Electricity Market after completing the retrofit of a battery energy storage system at an operating solar farm in South Australia.

Construction activities at renewables developer Neoen’s 200 MW/400 MWh Blyth Battery project site in South Australia’s mid-north will be powered by solar with off-grid power solutions specialist Commodore Australia deploying a hybrid PV and storage system at the remote location.

The South Australian government is calling for input from industry and consumers to help it determine what role rooftop solar, batteries, electric vehicles, green hydrogen and other renewable technologies will play in its future energy system.

Commissioning of one of Australia’s first solar-powered utility scale vanadium flow batteries has commenced with developer Yadlamalka Energy confirming that construction of its $22 million Spencer Energy Project in South Australia is now complete.

Construction of Australia’s first commercial-scale concentrated solar power plant is on track to begin next year with developer Vast appointing American Australian engineering company Worley to help deliver a 30 MW/288 MWh facility planned for South Australia.

South Australia’s electricity transmission network operator ElectraNet has outlined a $2 billion-plus (USD 1.3 billion) pipeline of transmission projects as it seeks to keep pace with a “rapid” energy transformation that could lead to a doubling of the state’s electricity usage by the end of the decade.

Australia’s largest grid-connected urban microgrid has been officially commissioned with a new rooftop solar-powered system atop Swedish homewares giant Ikea’s Adelaide store already delivering more than 70% of the store’s energy needs and providing grid support for the South Australian network.

Chinese inverter and storage company Sungrow and Australian developer Green Gold Energy have signed an agreement to collaborate on “at least” 500 MWh of battery storage projects within the next three years – most to all of which will be DC-coupled. Relatively new to Australia’s grid-connected battery landscape, DC-coupled batteries will soon be able to trade on lucrative FCAS markets thanks to imminent rule changes, providing a firmer foothold for the technology in Australia.

Construction of the South Australian section of the $2.3 billion (USD 1.56 billion) EnergyConnect infrastructure project, which will link power grids across three states, is now more than 50% complete with ElectraNet announcing the high-voltage interconnector is on track for release of full power transfer capability by mid-2026.