Transgrid Group’s Lumea will connect one of Australia’s largest grid-forming batteries to the grid, as part of ACEN Australia’s $768 million project, which includes the 200MW New England Solar Farm near Uralla.
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The 50MW battery—which will be scaled up to 200MW, providing two hours of storage capacity—is enough to supply 250,000 NSW homes. The solar farm and BESS will connect directly to Transgrid’s network.
Lumea executive general manager Craig Stallan said, “As the transition accelerates, we will see more major storage projects connect to the grid, improving system strength and enabling access to more low-cost, clean energy for millions of Australians.
“This project is yet another win for Lumea who has the most experienced connections team in the National Electricity Market (NEM). We will continue to prioritise hard work and innovation to enable competitive options for our customers in the Australian market.”
ACEN is delivering the lithium-ion (BESS). It is part of a 720MW solar facility currently being built in stages near Uralla in the New South Wales (NSW) New England region. Stage 1 of the solar facility (400MW) commenced generating clean, renewable electricity into NSW in 2023. Stage 2 will start construction in 2024.
ACEN Australia managing director David Pollington said, “The battery is another milestone for ACEN Australia’s inaugural project, New England Solar which stands as a major contributor to the National Electricity Market (NEM).
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“Once finished, it will be one of the nation’s largest co-located solar and battery energy storage facilities and enables energy to be stored and made available to the grid when it is needed. We are pleased to work with Lumea to unlock the full benefits of our project,” he said.
Target completion of the BESS is expected in 2025.
