Synergy has completed installation of containerised battery systems at the 200MW Kwinana Battery Stage Two project, marking another milestone in the delivery of Western Australia’s biggest grid-connected battery system.
Once complete, the new battery system will be capable of providing 800MWh of energy storage, which could power an estimated 370,000 average homes in Western Australia for approximately four hours.
Kwinana Battery Stage Two has already created more than 160 jobs during its current construction phase and is due to be complete in late 2024.
The Western Australian Government has said that it is investing more than $3 billion towards renewable energy generation, transmission and storage as part of its commitment to the energy transition and delivering cleaner, reliable and affordable energy for Western Australia’s future.
That investment includes supporting Synergy to expand its portfolio of battery assets to 3,000MWh of storage capacity by the end of 2025.
Installation of the Kwinana batteries comes as Synergy gears up to begin works early this year in Collie on one of Australia’s biggest lithium-based batteries. Once built, that battery will provide 500MW of power with 2,000MWh of energy storage.
Large-scale battery storage helps to provide system stability and supports the continued uptake of renewable electricity generation in the South West Interconnected System (SWIS).
Newly installed battery systems at Kwinana Battery Stage Two were supplied by Contemporary Amperex Technology. Power Electronics has been contracted to provide 72 inverters.
Western Australian Premier, Roger Cook, said that the Kwinana Battery Stage Two is a key part of Western Australia’s energy transition, ensuring the state has cleaner, more reliable and more affordable energy in the future.
“These large-scale batteries allow us to pump more renewable energy into the grid while keeping our system stable – and it’s great to see this transition happen right in the heart of the Kwinana industrial strip,” Mr Cook said.
Western Australian Minister for Energy, Reece Whitby, said that this news marks an exciting milestone in Western Australia’s renewable energy revolution.
“Renewables uptake is surging in Western Australia with the SWIS at times powered by more than 80 per cent renewables,” Mr Whitby said.
“Through a major expansion of battery storage in Western Australia, the State Government is ensuring the security and reliability of our energy system.”
