AGL’s 500MW Liddell Battery Storage System (BESS) has achieved full commercial operation, marking the first major development at the former coal-fired power station site and the first step in the gentailer’s plans to transform Liddell as part of the Hunter Energy Hub.
As one of the largest batteries in the National Electricity Market, the Liddell Battery will help deliver reliable, dispatchable energy, improve grid stability, and support the increasing uptake of renewable generation.
Related article: AGL begins commissioning for 500MW Liddell Battery in NSW
As the grid connection delivery partner, Transgrid’s Lumea provided end-to-end support for the project, including the design, construction, testing and commissioning of the network infrastructure required to connect the battery to the National Electricity Market.
Lumea executive general manager Craig Stallan said the achievement demonstrated the strong progress being made on one of NSW’s most significant energy storage projects.
“As more renewable energy sources such as wind and solar enter the electricity system, large-scale batteries like Liddell become increasingly important in ensuring that power remains reliable, responsive and available when consumers need it most,” Stallan said.
“At Lumea, we’re focused on developing smarter and more flexible grid connection solutions that simplify the integration of large-scale energy storage and renewable energy projects.”
The BESS was supported by a grant from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency and the NSW Government with a Long Term Energy Service Agreement (LTESA) to incentivise private investment in long duration storage.
Related article: Chimneys tumble in dramatic demolition at Liddell
Further NSW Government support was provided to Transgrid and AEMO to fund more engineers to fast track the project.
