ACEN Australia, a unit of Ayala Group’s ACEN Corp., said over the weekend the New South Wales government decided to increase the size of the New England Solar battery energy storage system.
“It will be a reliable, cheaper and greener form of energy generation for NSW,” ACEN head of international Patrice Clausse said as he thanked the NSW government for supporting the project.
The additional storage capacity will allow the project to increase its energy storage potential and provide additional firming and greater network system strength support, resulting in a more stable NSW electricity network.
“We look forward to continuing to work together to decarbonize New South Wales and Australia at large,” Clausse said.
The NSW approved the proposal of ACEN Australia to increase the BESS capacity to 2,800 megawatt-hours―enough to supply 175,000 homes with on-demand energy.
ACEN said the 720-MW New England Solar project is being built in two stages, with Stage 1 equivalent to 400 MW was opened in March.
The NSW Independent Planning Commission approved the project in 2020, which included its consent for a 200MW/2hr battery energy storage system.
An application to modify the project was recently approved by the Department of Planning and Environment, which increase the BESS capacity of 1,400MW/2hr, or 2,800 megawatt-hours.
The modification also includes some changes to Stage 2 of the solar project area, helping to optimize the project and move it another step toward construction.
The BESS location is within the approved site boundary, with the additional land for the larger battery currently being used as laydown areas for Stage 1 construction works.
This area was chosen due to its proximity to the substation where it can connect to the electricity transmission network.
ACEN Australia chief executive Anton Rohner said the additional battery storage at New England Solar would play a critical role in securing energy supply across the state.
“The state’s aging coal-fired generators are due to close over the next 20 years; large battery energy storage systems like these are critical in replacing that capacity with on-demand energy,” Rohner said.
“The New England Solar battery storage can charge using excess power generated from solar and wind, and discharge that energy when required,” he said.
ACEN Australia recently secured a 20-year long term energy service agreement for the New England Solar project, as part of the NSW Government’s first ACEN Australia renewable energy and storage auction.
It provides an option to access a minimum price for generation projects.
ACEN Australia has more than 1,000-MW capacity in construction and more than 8-GW capacity in the development pipeline. Its renewable energy assets include solar, wind, battery and pumped hydro and energy storage projects across Australia.
ACEN Australia forms part of ACEN which has 4,200 MW of attributable capacity from power facilities in the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, India, including Australia, with a renewable share of 98 percent, which is among the highest in the region.
The company aspires to be the largest listed renewables platform in Southeast Asia, with a goal of reaching 20,000 MW of renewable capacity by 2030.