- The Waratah Super Battery Project is now actively bolstering energy security for NSW’s grid as a ‘shock absorber’ in the event of power line outages due to events like lightning strikes and bushfires.
The first 350 megawatts (700 megawatt-hours) of the project’s battery capacity have come online in the lead up to full operation, expected later this year. The project is part of the NSW Government’s plan to upgrade our grid and provide clean, reliable and affordable energy for everyone in the state as ageing coal plants retire. It involves one of the most powerful battery energy storage system in the world, located at the site of the former Munmorah coal-fired power station.
The Waratah Super Battery Project is more than just a battery. It has multiple parts that work together to help it perform its unique role in supporting the electricity grid. The project will allow more power to flow from existing generators to supply electricity to people around the state and is faster to implement than new transmission lines.
Around half of the battery’s capacity is now online, the overarching control system is in operation, agreements with generators are in place, and the first stage of upgrades to the existing transmission network has been completed. The remainder of the battery’s capacity (for a total of 850 megawatts / 1680 megawatt-hours) is expected to come online later this year.
EnergyCo is the NSW Government body responsible for overseeing the delivery of the project, while Transgrid is the network operator and Akaysha Energy operates the battery storage system.
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
