PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Energy provider AGL has taken an investment decision on its A$41-million Broken Hill battery with the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (Arena) to provide A$14.84-million in funding for the project.
The 50 MW/50 MWh lithium-ion large-scale battery will be equipped with grid forming inverters to improve system strength and support increased levels of renewable energy generation in regional New South Wales.
The Broken Hill battery will include advanced inverter technology, providing system strength services in weak parts of the grid and is part of AGL’s planned 850 MW grid-scale battery network currently under development.
Minister for Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor said the government had prioritised energy storage in Australia's Technology Investment Roadmap as one of the key solutions to lowering emissions while keeping the lights on.
“The combination of large-scale batteries with grid-forming inverters will not only improve grid stability, but will also put downward pressure on electricity prices. This battery will help stabilise the system, which is particularly important for areas such as Broken Hill that are at the edge of the electricity grid.
“This is the thirty-fifth Arena project we’ve invested in across New South Wales since January 2020. This brings total Commonwealth investment under that agreement to date to $99.22 million.”
AGL COO Markus Brokhof said the Broken Hill battery was another step forward as AGL becomes a leading orchestrator of batteries in Australia.
“As Australia moves forward with its energy transition, we know that firming technologies like batteries play an important role in energy storage and supporting renewable energy supply,” Brokhof said.
“Broken Hill’s unique edge-of-grid environment provides an ideal location for this advanced inverter technology to demonstrate how it can facilitate further penetration of renewable energy generation and add to the stability of the wider electricity network.”
Arena CEO Darren Miller said the next step for large-scale batteries was to show their capabilities in strengthening the grid as more renewables came online.
“Energy storage has been identified as a key priority technology under the Australian government’s Low Emissions Technology Statement. We are particularly interested in seeing how AGL’s Broken Hill battery will utilise and demonstrate advanced inverter technology in a weaker section of the energy grid. We look forward to working with AGL and Fluence in highlighting the potential of large-scale batteries to provide a cheaper solution to providing system stability as the grid takes on more renewable energy.”
The project is expected to provide up to 50 jobs during construction for engineers, tradespeople and contractors in the region, and is set to be fully operational in 2023.