Hitachi Energy has secured a 20-year long-term service agreement with Akaysha Energy for the Ulinda Park battery energy storage system in Queensland, strengthening operational support for one of the state’s largest battery storage projects.
Located in the Western Downs region, the 155 megawatt / 298 megawatt-hour Ulinda Park Battery Energy Storage System is designed to support grid stability, firm renewable generation and participate in the National Electricity Market, including Frequency Control Ancillary Services.
The agreement forms part of Hitachi Energy’s HMAX Energy platform, an artificial intelligence enabled suite of services focused on long-term asset reliability, operational performance and predictive maintenance for critical energy infrastructure.
Under the project scope, Hitachi Energy delivered the site’s power conversion and control technology, as well as factory testing, commissioning and regulatory integration support required for market participation in the National Electricity Market.
The company says the new long-term service agreement will enable continuous monitoring, predictive insights and preventative maintenance supported by both remote and on-site expertise.
As utility-scale batteries take on a larger role in balancing renewable generation across the grid, industry attention is increasingly shifting beyond project delivery toward long-term operational reliability, system availability and compliance.
Hitachi Energy says digitally enabled service agreements are becoming increasingly important as Australia’s electricity system becomes more decentralised and dynamic, particularly in high-renewables regions such as Queensland.
Massimo Danieli, Chief Executive Officer of Grid Automation at Hitachi Energy, affirmed that reliability and scalability will become critical differentiators for battery and power conversion infrastructure.
“As Australia accelerates renewables integration, reliability, predictability, and scale become critical differentiators for power conversion solutions,” Danieli said.
“The country’s energy profile and mix of resources uniquely demonstrates what a digitally-enabled, distributed grid can achieve.”
Wolf Mueller, Chief Executive Officer of Service BU at Hitachi Energy, shared that long-term service partnerships will play a growing role in the future electricity system.
“Battery storage projects like Ulinda Park show the powerful combination of deep technology expertise, advanced digital skills and long-term service partnerships,” Mueller said.
Feri Hamori, Chief Operating Officer at Akaysha Energy, shared that the project is now providing fast frequency response and energy shifting services into the National Electricity Market.
“With a standardised platform in place and a strong services solution, we are well-positioned to build on this performance as our footprint expands,” Hamori said.
