Maoneng reveals plans for 240 MWp/480 MWh big battery in Australia

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From pv magazine Australia

Maoneng is proposing to build a 240 MWp/480 MWh battery storage system (BESS) on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, Australia. It has already filed a planning permit application with the Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning. 

The company is going through a competitive tender process to select a contractor for the project. It said it aims to have the big battery completed by late 2022. Its proposed site is 6.7 hectares, flat, and largely cleared of vegetation, which makes it ideal for such a project, the company said. 

The Mornington Peninsula traditionally experiences fluctuations in its demand for electricity, primarily because of seasonal tourism. Maoneng’s co-founder and CEO, Morris Zhou, said the Mornington BESS represents an important piece of the puzzle here.

“A vital part of the Victorian government’s Renewable Energy Action Plan is the integration of energy storage. Our facility directly supports this strategy and will play a key role in local grid stability,” Zhou said in a statement.

Earlier this month, Maoneng submitted plans to construct a 225 MW/450 MWh BESS on a 30-hectare site at Gould Creek, about 20 kilometers north of Adelaide. The AUD 112.5 million ($82.3 million) Gould Creek battery storage project builds on the company’s Australian portfolio, which includes a deal to develop four large-scale batteries, each 50 MW/100 MWh in capacity, for energy giant AGL in New South Wales. The deal includes a 15-year contract that will allow AGL to call on capacity from the batteries at a fixed price. The batteries are expected to be installed by 2023.

Data supplied by the Clean Energy Council (CEC) shows that financial commitments for new utility-scale battery projects in Australia increased fourfold between the fourth quarter of 2020 and the first quarter of this year, from 150 MW to 600 MW. The CEC said that at least 15 large-scale battery storage projects have been announced this year, representing more than 6.6 GW of capacity and AUD 4.3 billion in investment.

That number is likely to increase, as the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) proposed a new rule in April to bring new, ultra-fast frequency services into the National Electricity Market – services that will come largely from batteries.

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