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.

Related article: Queensland Government doubles capacity of Stanwell battery

The mega battery project will include 324 lithium-ion Tesla Megapack 2XL units which will be transported on trucks to site and craned into place.

The project was recently supercharged with a $448.2 million funding boost from the Queensland Government’s Queensland Renewable Energy and Hydrogen Job Fund, with the Premier and Energy Minister announcing in May it’s capacity would be doubled.

Work has also reached the halfway mark on Stanwell’s first dispatchable energy (storage) project, the $514 million Tarong mega battery project, part of what will be the Tarong Clean Energy Hub.

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.

Related article: CS Energy switches on Chinchilla Battery in Queensland

“This will ensure affordable and reliable electricity for our commercial and industrial customers in Queensland and the Eastern Seaboard.

“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.”

The post Work begins on Stanwell Battery near Rockhamptopn appeared first on Energy Source & Distribution.

CS Energy worked with Tesla and Downer to deliver the Chinchilla Battery, which is the first operational project in the Kogan Clean Energy Hub.

Related article: Forensic report blames CS Energy for Callide C explosion

The project has undergone a comprehensive commissioning program to test the battery under a range of operating conditions, ensuring it operates safely and reliably.

“Getting the Chinchilla Battery ready for commercial operation has taken a large effort from many people and teams across our entire business, from the team at site who will operate and maintain the asset to our traders in Brisbane who will dispatch its output into the grid,” CS Energy CEO Darren Busine said.

“This project, along with our other projects planned for the Kogan Clean Energy Hub, shows that CS Energy is here for the long term in the Western Downs community.”

Related article: Construction begins on Akaysha’s Brendale Battery

The Chinchilla Battery comprises 80 Tesla Megapack 2 systems. It uses lithium iron phosphate (also known as lithium ferro phosphate [LFP], or LiFePO4) batteries, which are the safest lithium batteries currently available.

Construction contractor Downer spent more than $3 million on suppliers and subcontractors in the Chinchilla and Dalby region during the construction phase.

The post CS Energy switches on Chinchilla Battery in Queensland appeared first on Energy Source & Distribution.

Powerlink will work collaboratively alongside 11 regional NRM organisations, on key aspects including the management of environmental offsets to ensure social and environmental benefits for communities, landscapes and future generations.

Related article: Work begins on Queensland’s CopperString 2032

It recognises the opportunity to develop projects across Queensland that support both sectors to be nature positive, while balancing affordability, security and reliability of the electricity network. The partnership also helps to facilitate the successful transition of an electricity network which is becoming more weather affected.

Powerlink executive general manager of network and business development Stewart Bell said, “Powerlink is playing a vital role in delivering Queensland’s transition to a renewable energy future by building the connections between generators and Queenslanders.

“Partnerships like this will also allow us to make meaningful contributions to enhancing Queensland’s natural resources.

“We see this is as not only a way to offset environmental impacts but also to understand how we can do more to ensure future generations can benefit from the rich environment Queensland has to offer.”

Natural Resource Management Regions Queensland CEO Chris Norman said, “The purpose of this agreement is to drive innovation that supports both the energy and natural resource management sector to be nature positive.

“We are hoping to develop a program of collaborative offsets with an initial focus on environmental restoration offsets.

Related article: Endangered parrots arrive at Tasmanian Gas Pipeline

“Like Powerlink, we have a long-term vision for a healthier environment built on foundations of dedication and trust.

“Together we want to develop leading practice around strategic environmental offsets and limit the impacts any action—such as renewable energy projects—might have on the environment.”

The post Powerlink inks NRM partnership for energy transition appeared first on Energy Source & Distribution.

Commencing commercial operation in 2026, the Brendale BESS is expected to reduce electricity costs and enhance grid stability in line with the Queensland Government’s renewable energy targets.

Related article: Akaysha secures first battery portfolio financing in Australia

Located on UnityWater’s 3.7-acre site next to the South Pine substation, the central node of Queensland’s electricity grid, the Brendale BESS will feature Tesla Megapack technology while the balance of plant will be delivered by Consolidated Power Projects Australia (CPP).

As one of Queensland’s largest batteries, the Brendale BESS can store enough energy to power up to 300,000 homes during a blackout, adding significant storage capacity to Queensland’s electricity network.

The project will provide energy arbitrage and frequency control ancillary services to support the NEM and facilitate the integration of solar and wind projects by leveraging existing transmission infrastructure in the region.

Akaysha Energy managing director and chief commercial officer Paul Curnow said, “The Brendale BESS is an important element of Akaysha Energy’s portfolio across not only Queensland but the NEM more broadly.

Related article: Akaysha Energy: Powering Australia’s renewables transition

“The Brendale BESS is a crucial step in our mission to rapidly deploy large-scale BESS, enhancing grid stability and energy security while driving the global shift to sustainable energy.

“The Brendale BESS is one of four projects under development in the state and it’s clear that the Queensland energy sector is serious about the transition.”

The post Construction begins on Akaysha’s Brendale Battery appeared first on Energy Source & Distribution.

Thursday Island is one of the Torres Strait Islands and is located approximately 39km north of Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland.

Related article: Alinga’s Ruby Heard on equity through energy

Thursday Island’s wind turbines are some of the oldest operating in Australia and demonstrate the suitability of renewable energy in Australian conditions.

Ergon isolated networks manager Dane Thomas said, “It’s great to see the turbines in the air once again. Thursday Island has once again welcomed the winds of change and is embracing a renewable energy future after leading the way when the wind farm was established in 1997,” he said.

“While this was cutting-edge technology when it was initially installed, it was due for a major overhaul, so the generating equipment was shipped to a specialist facility in South Australia while the towers were maintained onsite.

“With the completion of this $2 million project we have improved the reliability and efficiency of the wind turbines, which can generate enough energy to support around 100 high-use homes and are expected to save several thousand litres of diesel a week,” Thomas said.

To date, the wind turbines have generated more than 18,921MWh of renewable energy and savings of 220,000L of diesel a year on average.

As part of its commitment to decarbonising remote communities, and in consultation with the local councils and traditional owners, Ergon Energy Network is pursuing a range of renewable energy options on Thursday Island, including solar solutions.

Related article: Here’s how microgrids are empowering regional and remote Australian communities

“While the turbines can produce a lot of clean energy when the wind is blowing they won’t be as productive during those calm periods, known as ‘the doldrums’, and that’s why we need a mix of energy solutions,” Thomas said.

“There is widespread community interest in harnessing the power of the sun and we are working together with the council and other agencies to find the most suitable options and support a renewable energy future.”

The post Australia’s oldest wind turbines get new lease on life appeared first on Energy Source & Distribution.

The $450 million BESS at Lower Wonga has a battery energy storage capacity of up to 200MW and a discharge capacity of up to 800MWh, which is enough power to supply electricity for up to 53,000 homes for four hours.

Related article: Origin approves second stage of Eraring Battery

The Lower Wonga BESS will allow for more solar and wind energy to be integrated into the grid, helping to reduce grid volatility, lower electricity prices and the need for expensive new power stations.

Equis Australia investment director Roby Camagong said, “The BESS would be connected to Queensland’s electricity grid via a transmission line that connects to the 275kV Woolooga Substation.

“Making the transition from fossil fuels to ‘baseload’ renewables, the ability to store and dispatch energy will play a key support role to provide rapid-response services to grid contingency events such as outages or heat waves.

“Grid-scale battery storage fills this key short-term role,” Camagong said.

Work on the battery is expected to begin later this year, with the project scheduled to be operational by 2026.

Related article: FRV Australia reaches financial close on Terang Battery

Equis is developing a pipeline of high-quality battery storage and wind generation projects in Queensland, including the recently announced Jackson North Wind Farm in Woleebee, Queensland.

In November 2023, Equis and the Victorian Government’s SEC financially closed and commenced construction of Phase 1 of the Melbourne Renewable Energy Hub. Once complete, MREH will provide 1.6GWh of energy storage, enough to power up to 200,000 homes during peak periods.

The post Equis’ grid-scale Lower Wonga Battery gets green light appeared first on Energy Source & Distribution.

Momentum Energy’s VEN leverages the Enosi Powertracer Platform to facilitate the seamless virtual transfer of the benefits of locally generated solar energy across Port of Brisbane sites.

Related article: Momentum Energy incentivises customers to quit gas

The VEN enables commercial and industrial customers to virtually share the benefits of their excess solar between multiple sites, financially offsetting their energy consumption from the grid. The VEN will soon be available to small business customers as well.

Momentum’s VEN is particularly suited for organisations that produce more solar than they can use at a single location and want to ‘share’ that across locations that can’t host a solar array, that want to reduce power costs with solar, and that prefer to trade their own solar than purchase and transfer Large Scale Generation Certificates (LGCs).

The Port of Brisbane is Momentum’s first Virtual Energy Network customer. When it built its International Cruise Terminal in 2020, it installed an 800kW rooftop solar system that generated more electricity than it could use at the passenger terminal.

Under the VEN, Port of Brisbane can now virtually share the benefits of that locally generated solar across its other PBPL-operated sites at the Port.

Instead of Port of Brisbane receiving a small feed-in tariff, Momentum financially offsets that excess solar production against the energy used at other PBPL-operated sites, which has led to significant energy cost savings and greater utilisation of solar generated.

Momentum Energy managing director Lisa Chiba said that while the Port of Brisbane VEN was about maximising the benefits of an existing solar installation, other businesses might utilise a VEN to invest in larger solar arrays than originally planned.

“With a faster return on investment, Momentum’s VEN might incentivise C&I customers to invest in solar on a much larger scale than they normally would,” she said.

Related article: Adelaide Airport to almost triple rooftop solar system

Participation in the VEN is currently open to eligible commercial and industrial customers who have an energy contract with Momentum. In the Port of Brisbane’s case, they have a Corporate Power Purchase Agreement (CPPA) through which they purchase renewable energy certificates (LGCs) from the Granville Harbour Wind Farm in Tasmania.

Momentum Energy is owned by Hydro Tasmania, Australia’s largest generator of renewable energy.

The post Virtual energy network helping businesses boost solar appeared first on Energy Source & Distribution.

State-owned Stanwell is working with global renewable energy developer RES to build the proposed 436.5MW wind farm 30km south-west of Kingaroy.

Related article: Ark Energy withdraws plans for Doughboy Wind Farm

The project will feature 97 wind turbines and produce enough clean energy to power the equivalent of 230,000 homes.

The SARA assessment considered an accommodation strategy for workers to ensure housing supply in the region will not be adversely affected.

SARA has worked closely with the Department of Resources to ensure that the development helps protect important areas of ecological significance including protecting up to 13.47ha of koala habitat.

Conditions have been imposed for offsetting impacts for up to 5.4ha of Koala habitat in addition to requirements to rehabilitate areas cleared during construction, to the greatest extent possible.

Construction is expected to commence from 2025.

Related article: Palmer Wind Farm gets go-ahead in South Australia

Stanwell CEO Michael O’Rourke said, “The Tarong West Wind Farm is a critical part of not only Stanwell’s plan to decarbonise our existing portfolio, but it’s critical to Queensland reaching its renewable energy targets.

“This development approval brings us one step closer to our aim of having 9-10GW of large-scale wind and solar capacity by 2035 and we are continuing to work with RES through the approval processes so we can bring this project to life.”

The post Queensland Govt approves massive Tarong West Wind Farm appeared first on Energy Source & Distribution.

It was revealed the Brady Heywood investigative report cost approximately $10 million while CS Energy’s legal fees cost taxpayers approximately $38 million.

Related article: Forensic report blames CS Energy for Callide C explosion

At the same time, company executives were paid a staggering $300,000 in bonuses.

The Brady Heywood investigative report into the catastrophic explosion at  Callide C power station in May 2021 found CS Energy failed to implement “effective process safety practices” at the facility.

CS Energy commissioned Dr Sean Brady of forensic engineering firm Brady Heywood to review the underlying cause of the 2021 explosion that resulted in major damage to Unit C4, which remains offline.

There were no fatalities, but the incident destroyed Unit C4’s turbine generator and destabilised the Queensland power grid. The explosion initiated a cascading failure of nine major generator units across the state, which caused almost half a million Queensland customers to lose power.

Queensland Energy Minister Mick de Brenni was questioned about bonuses at the Budget Estimates meeting.

Related article: Callide C return-to-service date pushed back again

“I had a general dissatisfaction with board and the chief,” he said.

“The remuneration of government-owned corporation staff is entirely a matter for the board.”

The post Callide explosion cost taxpayers nearly $50 million appeared first on Energy Source & Distribution.

Pre-paid metering is mandated in many regional and remote Aboriginal communities and is associated with a high rate of disconnections and energy insecurity. Consumer protections for those customers vary across states and territories.

This project will help uncover the experiences of First Nations communities and people supplied by prepayment meters and find ways to ensure those households in the Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia receive the same critical consumer protections as people on post-paid arrangements.

Funded through an Energy Consumers Australia collaboration grant, Original Power, in partnership with researchers at Western Sydney University, will work with locally based First Nations researchers to lead, design and conduct community consultations in the Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia to improve energy sector understanding of the lived experience of First Nations households and communities using pre-payment arrangements for electricity.

Related article: First Nations people must be at the forefront of Australia’s renewable energy revolution

Tangentyere Council, representing the Alice Springs town camps, will be involved in the project as one of the local First Nations researcher partners.

“It’s important that our mob understand how to manage power and gain information on pre-payment meters. We need to make this information available for everybody using pre-payment so our communities can have fairer access to electricity services,” Tangentyere Council senior Indigenous researcher Vanessa Napaltjari Davis said.

Original Power will then collaborate directly with government and regulatory agencies including retailers to analyse and share data and to identify and implement solutions that will help communities.

Retailers and networks who service First Nations communities and pre-payment customers in the Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia are encouraged to contact Original Power to take part in the project.

“Original Power is proud to work alongside Indigenous research partners across the continent on this major national study, shining a light on the underreported experience of First Nations energy customers who access electricity through pre-payment,” Original Power executive director Lauren Mellor said.

“First Nations pre-paid meter customers experience some of the highest rates of energy insecurity of any population in the world, with frequent and extended disconnections caused by a lack of affordable power and exacerbated by the automated disconnections inherent to pre-paid meters. These experiences significantly impact the lives of First Nations families and communities, undermining social and economic wellbeing.

“As this study kicks off in the Northern Territory and expands to other pre-paid meter regions across Australia, we look forward to working collaboratively with communities, service providers, retailers and regulators to find ways to improve energy security for all First Nations energy customers.”

Chantelle Johns, a Marlinja-based researcher said, “It’s important that a national study captures all of the issues, questions and concerns regarding prepayment meters and to gather real data on how we are impacted to help advocate for change in our communities so that pre-payment customers can achieve real energy security.”

Dr Thomas Longden from the Urban Transformations Research Centre (UTRC) at Western Sydney University said: “The impacts of regular disconnection from electricity in remote communities are often a blind spot for the Australian energy community.”

A previous study in Nature Energy, co-authored by Dr Longden and funded by Energy Consumers Australia, found that 91% of households experienced a disconnection from electricity in a year and 74% were disconnected more than 10 times.

Related article: New First Nations engagement guide for renewables industry

“While we know that energy insecurity is common, we need to better understand how we could improve energy affordability, access and reliability for pre-paid meter customers.

“Disconnections are common and increase during days of extreme heat and cold. All power is lost to the household so even the lights go off, which makes the house dangerous to be in as they get very dark. This also means that there is no heating or cooling. The fridge stops working and this could lead to food going off and essential medicines being spoilt.

“That places people at risk of critical health events, for example, diabetics need insulin, but it spoils when it is not stored in an operable fridge. There’s also an extremely high rate of kidney disease, which makes people very vulnerable to extreme heat.”

The post New research project to improve First Nations energy security appeared first on Energy Source & Distribution.

Related article: WA to host first TAFE Clean Energy Skills Centre

TAFE Queensland proudly opened the new Hydrogen and Renewable Energy Training Facility and Advanced Manufacturing Skills Lab at the Townsville Trade Training Centre in Bohle, marking a significant step forward in supporting emerging industries and providing them with a pipeline of skilled workers well into the future.

TAFE Queensland North region general manager Susan Kinobe said, “For over 140 years, TAFE Queensland has been at the heart of Queensland communities.

“The new Hydrogen and Renewable Energy Training Facility and Advanced Manufacturing Skills Lab will enable TAFE Queensland to continue this legacy by training skilled workers for emerging industries like hydrogen and advanced manufacturing, ensuring long-term growth and sustainability.”

The state-of-the-art facilities will offer a range of training options, from nationally recognised certificates and diplomas to skill sets, micro-credentials, and trade tasters for high school students as part of the TAFE at School program.

These programs will cover areas such as sustainable energy, autonomous technologies, and robotics, equipping students with the skills required for the jobs of tomorrow.

Each year, more than 2,000 trade apprentices are trained at the Bohle campus. With the addition of the new training facilities, North Queenslanders will have even greater access to cutting-edge education and skills development in hydrogen and advanced manufacturing.

Related article: Australia’s first Hydrogen training centre opens in Brisbane

“There’s never been a better time to take on a trade—it might just change your life. These new facilities open up exciting possibilities for North Queenslanders to gain the skills needed for the future of work,” Kinobe said.

The post Queensland unveils hydrogen and renewables training facility appeared first on Energy Source & Distribution.

CS Energy commissioned Dr Sean Brady of forensic engineering firm Brady Heywood to review the underlying cause of the 2021 explosion that resulted in major damage to Unit C4, which remains offline.

There were no fatalities, but the incident destroyed Unit C4’s turbine generator and destabilised the Queensland power grid. The explosion initiated a cascading failure of nine major generator units across the state, which caused almost half a million Queensland customers to lose power.

In February, CS Energy released its own report on the technical contributing factors to the Callide Unit C4 incident, saying the explosion was caused by the failure of a battery back-up system at the power station’s C4 unit.

Related article: Callide C4 incident “could not have been anticipated”

CS Energy’s analysis found that the Unit C4 incident was the result of the simultaneous failure of key electrical equipment and system backups in a series of complex events, which it said “could not have been anticipated”.

However, the Brady Heywood report said the key organisational factor that contributed to the incident was a “failure to implement effective process safety practices that would have increased the likelihood of identifying and managing the risks associated with replacing the new Unit C4 battery charger and bringing it into service”.

The Brady Heywood investigation into the causes of the incident was undertaken in two parts: a technical investigation and an organisational investigation. The technical investigation examined the technical causes of the incident, and the organisational investigation examined the organisational factors related to the incident.

CS Energy CEO Darren Busine, who was appointed in July 2023, said the business had continued to take action since the two incidents to progressively improve safety for its people and plant at Callide and its other assets across the state.

“The action plan we are releasing today summarises our actions to date, as well as those underway, to build a safer, better CS Energy,” Busine said.

“Brady Heywood’s technical findings are consistent with CS Energy’s technical report released in February this year.

“Whilst on our reading of the Brady Heywood Report, a lack of maintenance did not cause the incident, we clearly have areas of improvement to ensure we operate and maintain our assets to world class standards.

“The Brady Heywood Report found that more effective process safety practices could have assisted CS Energy in identifying and managing the risks associated with bringing the C4 battery charger into service.”

Busine said CS Energy was committed to becoming a safer, better business.

“There is nothing more important than safety. Our action plan sets out how we will improve our capability to assess, mitigate and control the process safety risks inherent in owning and operating power generation assets,” he said.

“In addition, an Independent Advisory Group, chaired by Adjunct Associate Professor Trevor Love and comprising leading experts in process safety and organisational design, has been established to oversee and support us in executing and updating the plan.

“We are committed to learning from these events and giving our people better systems and tools so that they can do their jobs safely.”

Premier Steven Miles said the Queensland Government would be taking steps to “achieve 100% ownership of the Callide generators”.

“One of the causes Brady points to in his report is confusion over management structures because of that complicated joint venture arrangement, so 100% public ownership is what we think will assist there,” he said.

Related article: Callide C return-to-service date pushed back again

He the government would appoint special advisors to the board of the state-owned corporation “to ensure the government has more direct influence over the direction and to ensure that it has appropriate governance”.

Callide Power Station is comprised of two power plants—Callide B and C—each with two generating units (B1 and B2, C3 and C4).

Callide Energy Pty Ltd owns Callide C in a 50/50 joint venture with IG Power. CS Energy operates Callide C on behalf of the JV.

CS Energy owns 100% of the neighbouring Callide B Power Station.

The post Forensic report blames CS Energy for Callide C explosion appeared first on Energy Source & Distribution.

On 25 May 2021 an incident occurred on Unit C4 at Callide Power Station that caused extensive damage to the unit and had a significant impact on the transmission network. The power station was safely evacuated and no one was injured.

Related article: Callide C4 incident “could not have been anticipated

CS Energy CEO Darren Busine said the change in date was necessary to provide additional time for testing and quality assurance for safely returning Unit C4 to operation.

“This is the first time in Queensland a major generating unit and its cooling tower have been completely rebuilt and integrated with existing infrastructure,” Busine said.

“It is also nearly 20 years since a new coal-fired generator and cooling tower was put into service in Queensland, which was at Kogan Creek Power Station.

“For many of our people at Callide, this is the first time they have been involved in the commissioning of a new coal-fired generator and they have my full support in taking all the necessary precautions to ensure that C4 is returned to service in a safe and methodical manner.

“While this is a complex and challenging project, we are making good progress. The final electrical rectification works on C4 have been completed and construction of the new C4 cooling tower is progressing to schedule.

“The cooling tower basin has been filled, and cooling water is circulating in preparation for providing the required cooling to support commissioning of C4.”

Callide Power Station is comprised of two power plants, Callide B and C, each with two generating units (B1 and B2, C3 and C4).

Related article: New pultruded cooling towers for Callide

Three of Callide’s four generating units are operational—units B1, B2 and C3 are all generating electricity.

Callide Energy owns Callide C in a 50/50 joint venture with IG Power Limited. CS Energy operates Callide C on behalf of the JV.

The post Callide C return-to-service date pushed back again appeared first on Energy Source & Distribution.

The expansion features a 250MW/4hr Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), which is double the megawatt-hour size of the Stage 1 BESS project recently announced.

Related article: Quinbrook to build $2.5b data centre with 2GWh battery

Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners co-founder and managing partner David Scaysbrook said, “Supernode Stage 2 expansion comes right on the heels of our recent announcement of the construction start for Stage 1 and of our long-term offtake partnership with Origin.

“Moreover, with a 4-hour duration now configured for Stage 2, this represents yet another significant milestone for Quinbrook and for Queensland’s energy transition. Origin’s commitment to both Stages 1 and 2 speaks volumes to how strategically located the Supernode site is within the Queensland power system.

“The South Pine switchyard is the central node of the electricity network in Queensland, with an estimated 80% of Queensland’s traded electricity flowing through here every day. It’s hard to imagine a more ideal location for storage in the sunshine state.”

The Supernode site is the last non-flood prone land adjacent to the South Pine central node.​ This proximity helps mitigate marginal loss factor and curtailment risk, offering competitive advantages for Supernode BESS operations.

Related article: Octopus’ 1GWh Blackstone Battery gets planning tick

Origin head of energy supply and operations Greg Jarvis said, “Origin is pleased to be working with Quinbrook having secured the exclusive offtake from Stage 1 and 2 of the Supernode battery.

“The Supernode offtake will be an important addition to our growing storage portfolio, and reflects our belief that storage will play an important role in helping firm variable renewable energy supply and maintaining secure, reliable energy supply for customers.”

The post Supernode Battery expanded under new Origin offtake deal appeared first on Energy Source & Distribution.