Developed by Neoen, a renewable energy specialist, the largest battery in the southern hemisphere is now operating at the Moorabool Terminal Station near Geelong in Victoria.
“We are proud to be flicking on the switch for Australia’s biggest battery which will help protect our network in summer, support our renewable revolution and reduce energy prices,” Victorian minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Lily D’Ambrosio said.
“The Victorian Big Battery will deliver cleaner, cheaper, and more reliable power and help us reach our ambitious target of halving emissions by 2030.”
The 300-megawatt Tesla system created more than 150 jobs during construction. It will help modernise the state’s electricity grid, support new renewable energy capacity and improve the reliability of power supply during increasingly hot summers.
“I’m so proud to see this project up and running, delivering energy reliability to all Victorians,” Member for Lara, John Eren said.
“It’s a fantastic achievement for Geelong and will help the state shore up energy reliability during hotter, longer summers.”
The battery was delivered under direction from the Victorian government for the Australian Energy Market Operator to source a System Integrity Protection Scheme (SIPS), using recent legislation to bring forward critical transmission investments. This direction led to Neoen successfully bidding to bring the new battery online using Tesla Megapack technology.
The battery reserves 80 per cent of its capacity to allow the energy market operator to increase the power flow through the Victoria-New South Wales Interconnector. This means Victoria has access to more power when it is most needed and can deal with challenges in the transmission system.
The battery will also help reduce wholesale prices by storing cheap renewable energy and discharging it when needed. Independent analysis shows that every $1 invested in the battery will deliver $2.40 in benefits to Victorian households and businesses.
As Victoria’s ageing coal-fired generators are becoming increasingly strained during summer, this battery will play an important role in supporting the energy system on hot days.
Increased energy storage technology plays a key role in helping unlock renewable energy, with Victoria seeing renewable energy generation jump from around 10 per cent in 2014 to over 30 per cent this year, creating more jobs in renewables than any other state in Australia.