- New big battery to be built in Collie to supplement
the WA electricity system - AEMO contract to build a 197MW/four hour
capacity battery awarded to Neoen - The big battery is expected to be operational by
2024 - Neoen big battery in addition to Collie big
battery funded in the 2023-24 State Budget
Collie
will be the site of the latest big battery to be connected to the South West
Interconnected System (SWIS), the electricity grid supplying Perth and more
than one million homes and businesses between Geraldton and Esperance and east to
Kalgoorlie.
The
Collie Battery will directly create more than 120 construction jobs, as well as
many new opportunities for suppliers in the Collie region.
The
contract to build a 197MW battery was awarded to Neoen by the Australian Energy
Market Operator following a competitive process initiated with the State Government
through Energy Policy WA’s Coordinator of Energy.
The
long duration battery is expected to be operational by the summer of 2024/25,
when it will be providing 197MW for up to four hours.
The
new piece of energy infrastructure will be a significant boost for the security
and reliability of the South-West’s electricity grid, especially during the
evening peak periods.
The
Neoen big battery is in addition to the massive new battery funded in the
2023-24 State Budget, which will be one of the biggest battery systems in the
world, providing around 500 MW for up to four hours.
Neoen
is one of the world’s leading producers of renewable energy. The Collie Battery
will be its sixth big battery in Australia.
Comments attributed to Energy Minister Bill
Johnston:
“I warmly
welcome the investment by Neoen in the State’s energy market, which represents
a key component of the Cook Government’s Energy Transformation Strategy.
“While
the WA Government is replacing its coal-fired energy capacity with renewable
infrastructure through Synergy, it is also critical for the private sector to
take up the opportunity of participating and benefitting from the State’s energy
transition.
“Big
batteries like this one will help smooth out the peaks and troughs in the South
West Interconnected System by storing energy during times of low demand and
releasing it into the grid in times of peak demand.
“It
will complement Synergy’s new battery at Kwinana and the $2.3 billion
investment announced in the recent State Budget for further battery storage capacity
in the SWIS.”