The first large-scale battery storage project on Western Australia’s main grid is ready to start testing in what the state government is hailing as a major boost for the growing uptake of rooftop solar in the state.
The 100MW/2000MWh Kwinana Battery Energy Storage System was registered late last month – as RenewEconomy has reported – after a near six month delay, and was officially opened on the weekend by state premier Mark McGowan and energy minister Bill Johnston.
The Kwinana battery, owned by state owned utility Synergy, will be quickly followed by another battery four times its size at the same site. The 200MW/800MWh Kwinana 2 battery is expected to enter service in late 2024, according to the government.
That battery will in turn be followed by yet another 2.5 times that size, with a 500MW, four hour battery (2,000MWh) planned to be built by Synergy in the coal town of Collie.
The two new battery projects were allocated $2.3 billion in last week’s state budget, and herald an accelerated shift to renewables and storage by the state as it gets ready to close down the last of the state-owned coal generators before the end of the decade.
The WA government has gone even further, outlining last week a vision to build 51GW of new wind, solar and storage capacity over the next 20 years to power a massive transformation in its economy to green industry, and to power planned green hydrogen, green metals and other green industrial projects.
On Sunday, McGowan and Johnston said the first stage of the Kwinana battery will now undergo a series of charge and discharge tests before entering the network later this year.
“Battery storage systems will be critical to our energy future, allowing us to harness our rooftop solar resources to meet power needs during peak times,” McGowan said in a statement.
“With the Kwinana big battery entering operational testing today, we’re moving onto an even bigger battery on site – with four times the capacity.
“It will make our existing electricity system more secure, support the continued uptake of renewables, and set up our State for the long-term.”
Johnston said the three planned big battery projects will be crucial in managing household energy demand and supporting the uptake of residential solar, which now plays a dominant role in the state’s grid during daytime hours.
Batter storage is considered crucial because it is flexible and quick to respond, and can help manage big ramps in solar PV output, and take the pressure off ageing and less flexible fossil fuel generators.
The Kwinana battery has been built by French storage developer NHOA Energy, using CATL technology from China.
“We are committed to delivering cleaner and more reliable power to help us reach our ambitious emissions reduction targets,” Johnston said in a statement.
