Bulk earthworks are now underway on the $747 million Stanwell mega battery project, marking a significant step towards transforming Stanwell Power Station into a Clean Energy Hub.
Publicly owned energy company, Stanwell, is partnering with Tesla and Yurika to build the giant 300MW/1200MWh system capable of supplying energy into the grid for up to four hours.
The mega battery project will include 324 lithium-ion units, which will be transported on trucks to site and craned into place.
The project was recently supercharged with $448.2 million in funding from the Queensland Government’s Queensland Renewable Energy and Hydrogen Job Fund.
Work has also reached the halfway mark on Stanwell’s first dispatchable energy storage project, the $514 million Tarong mega battery, which forms part of what will become the Tarong Clean Energy Hub.
Construction on the 300MW/600MWh, two-hour storage project commenced in August 2023 and is due to be fully operational mid-2025. The heavy lifting on all 164 battery units have been completed with work now underway to connect them to the transformers.
Stanwell said that around 160 construction jobs have been created for both projects.
Queensland Minister for Energy and Clean Economy Jobs, Mick de Brenni, said, “This battery project is the largest of its kind in Queensland and will create around 80 jobs in construction.”
Mr de Brenni said that batteries deliver reliable power to the Queensland SuperGrid.
“When batteries like this are publicly owned, it means Queenslanders themselves benefit, not overseas shareholders.
“We want to ensure we maintain downward pressure on power bills for all Queenslanders by building more renewable energy and storage.”
Stanwell CEO, Michael O’Rourke, said, “Dispatchable energy assets like our Stanwell and Tarong big battery projects are critical as we transform our energy system.
“The big batteries will play a crucial role in the energy transformation by stabilising energy supply from clean renewable sources, meaning they’ll be able to be charged by sources like wind and solar and pumped back into the grid during periods of high demand.
“This will ensure affordable and reliable electricity for our commercial and industrial customers in Queensland and the Eastern Seaboard,” Mr O’Rourke said.
“They are a key piece of our commitment to achieving 5GW of energy storage by 2035 and highlights Stanwell’s vision for a sustainable and innovative energy future.”
Featured image: an excavator at the construction site of the Stanwell BESS. Image: Stanwell.
