Equis has secured approval from Powerlink and AEMO for its Lower Wonga Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), located near Gympie in Queensland, to be connected to the National Energy Market.
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.
