Quinbrook announced the successful start of commercial operations for Stage 1 of its Supernode battery storage project located at the South Pine substation in Brisbane.
Stage 1 is now operating at full output to the Queensland electricity grid with the commercial tolling of Stage 1 under the management of Origin Energy.
Supernode Stage 1 is a 260MW Battery Energy Storage System with 619MWh of installed capacity. The start of commercial operations marks the transition of the first stage from construction into operations. Construction is ongoing for Stages 2 and 3 which will be complete over 2026 and 2027 respectively and is set to increase Supernode’s capacity to 780 MW/3074MWh delivering significant grid stability, flexibility and firming to the power grid.
Once fully operational, the first three stages of Supernode will support the power needs of approximately 188,000 typical Queensland households during evening peak periods.
“Supernode is a case study in how technically advanced and large-scale storage can be conceived, located and delivered in Australia to support the progressive transition of our power systems. It is not just about scale, but about placing storage at the right location in the network and delivering long term infrastructure assets that are purpose-built to support the next phase of power system evolution,” said Quinbrook Senior Director James Allan.
Origin Energy has contracted for 100 per cent of capacity across Supernode Stages 1 and 2 under 12-year tolling agreements.
“The 260MW from Supernode Stage 1 brings Origin’s operational large scale battery capacity to 710MW, following the commencement of Eraring Battery 1 earlier this year,” said Origin Energy Executive General Manager Energy Supply and Operations Greg Jarvis.
“With Supernode Stage 2, along with our Eraring 2 and Mortlake batteries, coming online in the coming months, Origin’s battery storage portfolio will grow to 1.7GW across owned and tolled large-scale projects. This investment underscores the critical role Origin sees battery storage playing in supporting the energy transition.”
Quinbrook also acknowledges Moreton Bay Regional Council for its contribution and support, as well as Powerlink Queensland for its ongoing collaboration on grid connection and operational readiness, including coordination associated with South Pine Substation.
Supernode is being delivered in partnership with Quinbrook’s own specialist project execution team at Private Energy Partners, who have supported the design, procurement and construction of all Stages and who will oversee longer term asset management.
Quinbrook’s investment for Stages 1, 2 and 3 is expected to exceed $1.4 billion, with priority given to sourcing local labour, services and equipment from Brisbane and South-East Queensland. The financing of Supernode Stages 1 and 2 is believed to represent the largest debt financing for a standalone BESS project in Australia to date.
Quinbrook is also progressing plans for a Stage 4 expansion of Supernode, currently in pre-construction, which is expected to host the first deployment of Quinbrook’s EnerQB long-duration energy storage solution, developed in exclusive partnership with CATL.
