Origin Energy Limited is advancing its plans for a battery at the Eraring Power Station in New South Wales with an overall capacity of up to 700 MW and a dispatch duration of four hours – making it the nation’s largest battery project currently under consideration.
Origin has issued an Expression of Interest to suitably qualified firms to supply and install the large-scale battery.
A Connection Enquiry has also been lodged with NSW transmission network service provider TransGrid to connect the battery to the national grid via the Eraring substation.
Origin Executive General Manager, Energy Supply and Operations, Greg Jarvis, said deploying a battery at Eraring supports Origin’s decarbonisation objectives and recent NSW energy policy announcements.
“We recognise we have an important role to play in positioning Origin’s electricity generation portfolio to support Australia’s rapid transition to renewables,” Mr Jarvis said.
“A large-scale battery at Eraring will help us better support renewable energy and maintain reliable supply for customers, by having long-duration storage ready to dispatch into the grid at times when renewable sources are not available.”
“The deployment of this battery at Eraring will support Origin’s orderly transition away from coal-fired generation by 2032, while complementing the policy objectives of the NSW energy roadmap,” he added.
Following the selection of a preferred supplier, achievement of the required permitting, and establishment of the network connection, as well as Origin Board approval, the operational capacity of the battery is expected to be deployed over three phases, with the first phase expected to be reached by late 2022.
Eraring is Australia’s largest power station, supplying around a quarter of NSW’s energy needs and it is Origin’s only coal-fired generator. The company acquired the power station in 2013.
