Australia’s largest battery with grid-forming inverter capabilities has been given the green light, with AGL reaching a Final Investment Decision (FID) on a 500MW/1,000MWh grid-forming battery in Liddell, New South Wales.
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Announced last year, ARENA conditionally approved up to $35 million in funding to the project, as part of the $176 million Large Scale Battery Storage Funding Round.
The grid-scale battery will be built on the site of the retired Liddell power station and will form part of AGL’s Hunter Energy Hub planned for the site. Originally planned at half the size (250MW/500MWh), AGL decided to expand the size of the battery, which will help to provide important systems services to the Hunter region.
ARENA’s Large Scale Battery Funding Round announced last year saw conditional funding be awarded to eight grid-scale battery projects across Australia. Each battery will be equipped with grid-forming inverter technology, allowing them to provide essential system stability services traditionally provided by synchronous generation such as coal and gas.
AGL managing girector and CEO Damien Nicks said, “We are excited to approve another major grid battery project in our development pipeline, supporting the local economy and creating energy transition jobs at our Hunter Energy Hub.”
Prior to the Large Scale Battery Storage Funding Round, ARENA has previously provided $81 million in funding for eight grid-scale batteries, including five with grid-forming capability at a smaller scale. This included the 150MW/300MWh Riverina Battery at Darlington Point and the 150MW/194MWh Hornsdale Power Reserve in South Australia, which are currently the largest operating grid-forming batteries in Australia.
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AGL’s Liddell battery will begin construction in early 2024.
