A contract has been awarded for the latest big battery to be connected to the South West Interconnected System (SWIS), which will be built at Collie in Western Australia.
The contract to build the 197MW battery was awarded to Neoen by the Australian Energy Market Operator, following a competitive process initiated with the State Government through Energy Policy Western Australia’s Coordinator of Energy.
The Neoen big battery is in addition to a new battery funded in the 2023–24 Western Australia State Budget, which will be one of the biggest battery systems in the world, providing around 500MW for up to four hours.
Western Australia Energy Minister, Bill Johnston, said, “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 Western Australia 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.”
Neoen is one of the world’s leading producers of renewable energy. The Collie Battery will be its sixth big battery in Australia.
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 SWIS electricity grid supplies 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.
