Australia has clearly been motivated by the huge success of the giant 150-megawatt Tesla battery built in South Australia in 2017. In November, neighboring state Victoria announced a 300-megawatt plant to go live at the end of this year, and now, a new project in New South Wales will dwarf both these projects combined.
CEP Energy has just announced the largest battery ever proposed. At 1.2 gigawatts, it sets a new global benchmark – albeit one that's sure to be eclipsed shortly by something bigger as the environmental and cost-saving benefits of these giant grid-scale batteries become better understood.
Not only do these batteries soak up and release excess renewable energy generated out of sync with demand, they're terrific for smoothing out unexpected spikes in power demand. They're profitable for the businesses that run them, and they bring down power bills for consumers.
In the case of this particular battery, there seems to be a political edge to it too. CEP Energy is chaired, according to Renew Economy, by former NSW premier Morris Iemma, whose left-leaning Labor party is pushing sustainable energy projects in opposition to current Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his right-leaning Liberal/National coalition, who seem keen to cling to fossil fuels.
The Kurri Kurri location of this 1.2-gigawatt battery project is right where the Morrison Government has been pushing for new coal and gas generator projects. A chess game in motion.
The CEP plant is expected to go online in stages, starting operations in 2023. The battery supplier has not yet been selected. Any bets on which jurisdictions might be planning something even bigger around the world?
Source: CEP Energy
