At Reeves Plains in South Australia, a major battery energy storage system project is highlighting an important lesson for the energy transition: the biggest gains in infrastructure delivery are made long before construction begins.
Developed by Alinta Energy, the project is a 250-megawatt battery with four hours of storage, capable of powering around 300,000 households. It is a nationally significant piece of infrastructure, designed to strengthen the state’s grid and support the transition to a more renewable energy system.
To bring the project to life, Alinta Energy engaged Genus as its delivery partner, initially through an Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) phase, and subsequently as the engineering, procurement and construction contractor.
The role places Genus at the centre of the project, spanning early design development through to commissioning. Rather than executing a predefined scope, Genus has been embedded from the outset, contributing to how it has been designed and is now being delivered.
For Alinta Energy, that early involvement was a deliberate choice.
“Genus had all the necessary experience, having built a number of battery projects previously, and we believe that experience being brought to Reeves Plains was extremely important and made things move a lot smoother,” said Andres Maasing, Chief Development Officer at Alinta Energy.
Construction has now commenced, but while activity on site is ramping up, those closest to the project point to a different part of the timeline as being critical to its success. The most important work happened before construction began.
A complex project with little margin for error
Battery storage is often described in simple terms; store energy when supply is high and release it when demand rises. But delivering that capability at scale requires complex electrical systems, detailed civil design and multiple stakeholder requirements.
Reeves Plains is shaped by site constraints, grid integration requirements and strict performance expectations, leaving little margin for error.
These are the types of conditions where early decisions carry disproportionate weight.
Bringing delivery thinking in early
Rather than progressing a fixed design into construction, Alinta Energy brought Genus into the project early through an ECI phase. That shifted the dynamic immediately.
“Genus took their time in assessing the issue step by step, and worked with us to come up with the best outcome for our project,” Maasing said.
That early engagement created the conditions for a collaborative process, where both teams worked towards a shared outcome, rather than progressing a predefined design.
In many infrastructure projects, standardised requirements are applied as a baseline. At Reeves Plains, those assumptions were worked through early, ensuring the design was aligned to the site, the conditions and Alinta Energy’s outcomes.
Engineering the outcome before construction begins
Working closely with Alinta Energy, Genus helped progress the design to a buildable level, ensuring it was both technically sound and commercially efficient.
According to Genus, the process contributed to an approximate 8 per cent saving in total project cost. These savings were not driven by a single decision, but by practical changes across layout, civil works and electrical design.
Amish Sheth, Engineering Manager and CEC-Accredited Designer at Genus, said a key part of this was optimising the overall site layout.
“One of the key outcomes of the ECI was to optimise the layout of the site. We were able to lock in a general arrangement which stood the test of time,” he said.
This work extended into civil and electrical design, where early decisions helped simplify delivery and remove unnecessary complexity.
“I think one key saving was during the ECI, we could optimise our bulk earthworks and also go through the principal project requirements and identify elements that may not have been required,” Sheth added.
This was not about reducing scope in a way that increased risk. It was about ensuring that every element of the project was necessary, fit for purpose and aligned to the realities of the site.
A collaborative process that builds trust
While the technical outcomes were significant, the way the teams worked together was equally important.
Rather than solely relying on documentation and formal communication channels, much of the work during the ECI phase was done face to face, creating space for more open and constructive conversations.
“We did not deliver the ECI from a contract perspective, we delivered the ECI from a customer perspective,” said Sheth.
From Alinta Energy’s perspective, that approach created a different type of working relationship.
“We find that working with Genus is always a very collaborative approach. We feel like we’re both part of the same family in delivering the projects,” Maasing said.
“This is our second project together, and we believe there will be more opportunities to work together.”
That sense of shared ownership enabled more open conversations and ultimately led to better decisions.
Setting the project up for delivery
The impact of this early work is now being seen as the project progresses through construction. The strength of the front-end process has helped create clarity around what is being built and how it will be delivered. From Alinta Energy’s perspective, this early clarity has been critical in providing confidence as the project moves through delivery.
As Daniel Green, Project Manager at Genus explained, getting the early design right significantly reduces uncertainty.
“I think that’s testament to that work that we do during that 30 per cent design phase. If you get that right, then the surprises aren’t there and you get a pretty good understanding of what you set out to do,” he said.
A more integrated model of delivery
Reeves Plains also reflects a broader evolution in how Genus is approaching project delivery. On this project, Genus is taking on a more integrated role across the lifecycle.
Damon Olufson, GM Projects at Genus, said this provides a clear benefit to clients.
“It’s about being that one point of contact for them all the way through,” he said.
In complex infrastructure projects, that clarity reduces interface risk and simplifies delivery.
The Genus way: a culture that drives delivery
Reeves Plains also shows how the project team approaches delivery, with a strong focus on accountability and shared ownership of outcomes.
For Olufson, that starts with ownership and solutions.
“We’re not focused on just identifying problems, we provide solutions. We never go to our clients with issues alone, we come with options to solve the problem,” he said.
This philosophy extends into how Genus works with clients. Rather than operating in silos, the focus is on working as one team, bringing clients into the process early, maintaining open communication and being transparent about risks from the outset.
“We just get on with it. We know what we’re there to achieve, and we work with our clients to just get it built,” Green said.
A project still in motion
Reeves Plains is not yet complete. But even at this stage, there is a clear takeaway. The decisions made early, through a rigorous and collaborative ECI process, have set a strong foundation for delivery.
A model for what comes next
As Australia’s energy transition accelerates, infrastructure projects will only become more complex.
At Reeves Plains, early engagement has enabled a more integrated approach to design and delivery, reducing risk before construction began.
As the project progresses, collaboration between client and contractor is shaping better outcomes across the sector.
For more information, visit www.genus.com.au
This article appears in the May/June 2026 edition of Utility. Subscribe HERE.
