Enerven’s role in delivering the Eraring and Liddell Battery projects has highlighted the organisation’s ability to collaborate, plan and deliver on major battery energy storage technology, which is expected to benefit the nation for generations to come.
Enerven has strongly positioned itself at the heart of Australia’s energy transition. The proudly South Australian company – with sites in Adelaide, Sydney, Brisbane, and Perth – delivers integrated design, construction and maintenance services across electrical, renewable-energy and telecommunications infrastructure.
“Our roots in South Australia are a core part of who we are as a business,” said Richard Amato, Chief Executive Officer at Enerven.
“From delivering the Torrens Island to the Bungama battery energy storage systems, these projects have helped build the expertise that underpin our national capability today. The lessons we’ve learned through years of local delivery are what now enable us to operate confidently and successfully across the country. Enerven’s role in shaping Australia’s future energy system is just beginning; it’s a future built on the strength of where we started,” Amato said.
Enerven’s project portfolio spans transmission lines, substations and battery energy storage systems – the essential backbone linking modern renewable generation to the national grid. With ambitions that reach beyond technical delivery, the organisation’s evolution from a utilities contractor into a national clean-energy partner reflects both industry change and an internal culture built on collaboration, community engagement and end-to-end capability.
Connecting energy networks to a renewable future
Enerven’s roots began in building substations and transmission infrastructure for the South Australian market.
“South Australia has always been at the forefront of renewable innovation, and Enerven has grown alongside that evolution,” Amato said.
“The work our teams have delivered in regional areas has established the technical depth and project discipline that we now bring to large-scale projects such as Eraring and Liddell.”
To meet the national consumer demand shift from fossil fuels to distributed renewables, the organisation saw an opportunity to extend its expertise. Project Delivery Director for New South Wales and Queensland, Simon Valencia says Enerven’s distinctive DNA sets it apart.
“We have been focused on getting into the emerging markets of wind, solar and batteries, to complement our strengths in substations and lines to connect the existing network – what we do well,” Valencia said.
Those origins underpin Enerven’s claim as a “one-stop shop” – capable of designing, constructing, integrating and maintaining every component required to bring new generation online.
A true end-to-end partner
In a sector often fragmented between developers, equipment suppliers and engineering firms, Enerven’s integrated model is a rarity.
“Traditionally, a solar farm might engage one contractor to build the array, another to deliver the substation, and someone else again to connect the transmission line,” said Valencia.
“Our proposition to our clients is give us the whole lot, and we will manage the entire process for you, end to end.”
That full-service capability stems from a workforce fluent in both electrical engineering and project management. Mechanical and electrical engineers work alongside onsite supervisors and logistics specialists to coordinate road access, heavy transport and complex commissioning schedules.
“It is really about process and control,” Valencia said.
“Our teams understand each component – the substations, the roads, the battery blocks – and how they interconnect. We capture everything in our engineering and quality-management systems so we can deliver efficiently and safely.”
The Eraring Battery Project: Scale and ambition
The Eraring Battery Project, beside the Eraring Power Station near Lake Macquarie in New South Wales, is a flagship project transforming the site of Australia’s largest coal-fired power station into one of the biggest batteries in the Southern Hemisphere.
“As a project manager, my first impression was just the scale of it,” said Valencia.
“The team had to prepare challenging ground, such as dug up old car bodies and other remnants from decades past and turn it into a massive pad covered in battery banks.”
Enerven is delivering both the civil and electrical scope, including new substations, transmission extensions, and integration works that allow the battery to connect seamlessly into the grid. The project uses Wärtsilä batteries, selected by Origin Energy as the principal contractor.
“They have done the first part and are commissioning it now. The second part is starting earthworks again, installing new blocks and bringing them online. It is incredible to see the vision come together,” Valencia said.
Commissioning requires precision timing with the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) to ensure power-quality and frequency compliance.
“There is always pressure because each commissioning window is tight. But I always say – pressure is for tyres, not for humans. The key is planning, coordination and communication.”
By mid-December, the Eraring project will be progressing through its commissioning phase, preparing additional battery blocks for energisation and grid export.
The Liddell Battery Project: A mirror in motion
Just a few hundred kilometres north lies the Liddell Battery Project, another former coal-generation site being reborn as renewable infrastructure. For Enerven, the project represents both continuity and complexity.
“The Liddell project is almost exactly the same as Eraring,” Valencia said.
“There is a new substation, brownfield tie-ins, roads, warehousing – the full suite. The main difference is the battery technology.”
While Eraring uses Wärtsilä systems, Liddell deploys Fluence batteries, a joint venture between Siemens and AES.
“At Liddell we are subcontracting to Fluence, who are the principal contractor for AGL. Each client chooses a different supplier for technical reasons, so our job is to be adaptable – to design and integrate whatever technology is specified.”
By the end of the year, Enerven expects Liddell’s second stage of battery blocks to be handed over to Fluence for commissioning. That is when they will start energising and feeding power back into the grid.
Collaboration at every level
Managing multi-partner projects of this scale demands more than engineering expertise. It requires trust and communication.
“It all comes down to relationships,” Valencia said.
“You have got to make sure everyone is aligned with common goals, from contractors, clients, suppliers, to regulators. As the lead, it is our job to set the flag post: ‘here is where we are going, and here is what we need from each of you to get there.”
He credits Enerven’s solution-focused culture for its success.
“There is a real willingness to be client-pleasing. Our contract might sit in the drawer, but what matters is delivering outcomes. That approach resonates – it is why we are winning work in New South Wales and Queensland,” Valencia said.
Power of community, people and continuity
Beyond technical delivery, Enerven’s leadership recognises that these projects reshape the communities they inhabit. Many regional towns once centred around coal-fired power generation are now adjusting to a new economic identity built on renewables.
“Both Eraring and Liddell encompass communities that have been in limbo. People worked at those stations for decades. Now, with the batteries and new infrastructure, there are opportunities for them to stay involved through operations and maintenance,” said Valencia.
He recounts one story that captures this generational handover.
“We met a gentleman named Pete, our electrical supervisor at Liddell. He started his apprenticeship there in 1980, back when it was all coal. Recently, it was his final day – finishing his career working on the battery project. Seeing that transition, from where he started to where he was heading was pretty special.”
Investing in the next generation
For Valencia, the human element is inseparable from the technical mission.
“I have gotten so much out of the electrical industry, and being part of this change is exciting,” he says.
“But even more exciting is providing opportunities for young apprentices, trainees and graduates to enter the industry and make their mark,” he said.
Enerven embeds social-procurement goals across its contracts, which include supporting more women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, and First Nations Peoples into the industry. Providing contracts to local suppliers has been an inclusive focus for the organisation too.
“You will get found out quickly if you are not genuine about what it means to be inclusive in this industry. At Enerven, we are wholeheartedly focused on building local capability and diversity of thinking – that’s how you get the best outcomes,” Valencia said.
Continuous improvement
Valencia sees further opportunity for Enerven to lead on data-driven quality systems.
“When you show clients real data, it builds trust,” said Valencia.
“Quality is not just compliance, it is about demonstrating control, progress and accountability. Enerven already does a great job, but as we refine those systems, we can accelerate.”
A long-term legacy
For Enerven, the dual delivery of the Eraring and Liddell batteries represents more than two projects – it symbolises the organisation’s role in bridging the country’s past and future energy systems.
“These sites once powered the nation through coal. Now they are powering it through storage. It is a tangible demonstration of transition,” said Richard Amato, Chief Executive Officer at Enerven.
For Enerven, engineering excellence through investment in people, partnerships and purpose is how it strives to build its future success.
“Projects are exciting, but without people, they cannot succeed. That is what really drives us: building infrastructure that lasts, and a workforce that grows with it,” Amato said.
“As we expand our footprint in Australia’s growing energy storage market, we remain committed to providing solutions that enhance energy resilience and accelerate the path to a cleaner, more sustainable future.”
About the Eraring Battery Project
Enerven has been chosen to design and construct all three stages of Origin Energy’s Eraring Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). Enerven’s role spans all three stages of the project:
- Stage 1: 460 megawatt (MW) / 1070 megawatt hours (MWh) two-hour duration battery, expected online in late 2025.
- Stage 2: 240 MW/1030 MWh two-hour duration grid-forming battery, expected online in early 2027.
- Stage 3: 700 MWh expansion, increasing the Stage One battery’s dispatch duration to approximately four-hours, also expected online in late 2025.
About the Liddell Battery Project
The Liddell Battery Energy Storage System is a landmark renewable energy project essential to seamless integration of the battery into the grid, enhancing energy reliability. Enerven’s role encompasses the design and construction of critical infrastructure to connect the battery to the National Electricity Market. This includes:
- The construction of a 330/33 kilovolt (kV) battery substation.
- A 450-metre 330 kV overhead transmission line.
- An extension to the existing 330 kV switchyard.
For more information about Enerven, click here.