Lumea, the contestable business of Transgrid Group, will connect one of Australia’s largest grid-forming battery energy storage systems (BESS) to the New South Wales electricity network.
The 50-megawatt (MW) battery system, set to be scaled up to 200MW with two hours of storage capacity, is part of ACEN Australia’s $768 million project near Uralla in the proposed New England Renewable Energy Zone.
The project, which includes the 200MW New England solar farm, will see the solar farm and BESS connecting directly to Transgrid’s network. Once operating at full 200MW scale, the battery system will have enough capacity to supply 250,000 NSW homes with electricity.
“Transgrid Group, through Lumea, is proud to work with ACEN Australia on this significant project and further our relationship with the Philippines, which continues to play a key role in Australia’s energy transition,” Transgrid Chief Executive Officer Brett Redman said.
Newly appointed Lumea Executive General Manager Craig Stallan emphasised the battery’s role in enabling more renewable energy.
“As the transition accelerates, we’ll see more major storage projects connect, improving system strength and enabling access to low-costs clean energy for millions of Australians,” Stallan said.
The lithium-ion BESS is part of ACEN’s 720MW New England solar facility being built in stages. Stage 1 commenced operation in 2023, with Stage 2 construction starting in later 2024.
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