The first stage of Neoen’s Collie BESS (battery energy storage system) has commenced operations ahead of schedule.
Since 1 October 2024, the battery has been delivering grid reliability services under contract with the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) – less than 18 months after the project began construction.
The battery storage facility is located near the town of Collie, on the country of the Wilman people of the Bibbulmun nation, in the south-west region of Western Australia, and is the first Neoen asset to connect into the SWIS (South-West Interconnected System).
Under the Non-Co-optimised Essential System Services’ (NCESS) contract with the AEMO, which runs for a period of two years, the battery will provide 197MW of storage capacity for four hours, charging during the day and then discharging across the evening peak. This service is designed to address the risks AEMO identified relating to the phased retirement of State Government owned coal-fired power plants and increasingly high penetration of rooftop solar in Western Australia.
Neoen said the 219MW/877MWh Stage 1 battery is the largest in Western Australia to date, while the even larger 341MW/1363MWh Stage 2 battery is currently under construction and expected to be operational in Q4 2025.
This asset is one of two energy storage projects under construction in Collie, with Synergy delivering a 500MW/2000MWh capacity battery just a few kilometres away, which the utility said is scheduled for completion before the end of 2025.
When combined, Neoen and Synergy’s projects will be able to provide up to 40 per cent of the average demand in the SWIS, and will play a key role in supporting electricity reliability as Western Australia transitions to renewable energy.
Neoen CEO, Jean-Christophe Cheylus, said, “We are extremely proud to have delivered the largest battery in Western Australia in record time. I would like to thank everyone who has worked tirelessly to make this happen: Western Power, Tesla and UGL as well as AEMO and the Western Australian Government. We are delighted to be contributing a storage project of this scale and duration. With over 2GW of projects in our pipeline in Western Australia, we are committed to continuing to play our part in the state’s energy transition.”
Western Power CEO, Sam Barbaro, said the Western Power network is playing a key role in enabling industry and the community to reach their decarbonisation goals and expediting the transition to a sustainable energy system.
“The Collie Battery Stage 1 project is a terrific example of this, involving excellent collaboration and innovation between Western Power and Neoen, resulting in an outstanding outcome for the community and the Western Australian energy market. Connecting energy solutions that support the harnessing of the abundance of renewable energy resources Western Australia has to offer is critical to unlocking a cleaner energy future,” Mr Barbaro said.
Western Australian Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Action, Reece Whitby, said, “The Western Australian Government is clear that our state’s energy future will be powered by a mix of rooftop solar, onshore wind, and large-scale battery storage, backed by gas.
“This battery will support household investment in rooftop solar by soaking up excess energy produced during the day and making it available in the evening when it’s most needed. [So,] we get on with the job of retiring state-owned coal-fired power by 2030, embracing Western Australia’s clean energy future, and ensuring Collie continues to be at the heart of our state’s south-west energy supply.”
Featured image: Neoen.
