Singapore-based energy developer Vena Energy has announced the commencement of commercial operation of its 100MW/150MWh Wandoan South battery energy storage system in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia, following an 18-month operation. Test and debug.
Vena Energy said full operational dispatch of the Wandoan South battery energy storage system has now officially been handed over to Australia's largest electricity producer, AGL Energy, as part of a long-term power purchase agreement.
The project, located near Wandoan in south-west Queensland, is the state's largest battery storage system connected to the grid to date and one of the largest in Australia, capable of powering approximately 57,000 Australian households each year.
Vena Energy, which completed the financial close of the second stage of last year's TailemBend project in South Australia earlier this year, said the Wandoan South battery storage system was only the first stage of the larger Wandoan South battery storage project, which will eventually Deploy and operate a 650MW solar power generation facility and a 450MW energy storage system.
AGL Energy said the battery storage system would allow it to tap excess solar power in Queensland and provide stored electricity when renewable energy projects run low.
For AGL Energy, the Wandoan South battery energy storage system deal is part of the company's strategy to significantly increase its flexible storage and generation capacity to support the transition from coal to renewable energy.
The company has begun developing a 250MW/1GWh battery storage system on-site at its Torrens Island power station in South Australia, and plans to deploy a 500MW/2GWh battery storage system at the Liddell coal-fired power station in New South Wales have Approval.
AGL Energy also announced plans to deploy a 200MW/800MWh battery storage system at Loy YangA power station in Victoria, and has received approval from the NSW planning authority to build a 50MW/100MWh battery storage system at Broken Hill, and announced Agreed with Maoneng to sign power purchase agreements for four 50MW/100MWh battery storage systems deployed in NSW. AGL Energy is already operating a 30MW/8MWh battery storage system in Dalrymple, South Australia.
