Construction of the 200 MW / 800 MWh Lower Wonga battery energy storage system being developed near Gympie in Queensland’s southeast is due to commence in the coming months with Equis recently confirming it has sealed a grid connection agreement for the $450 million (USD 299 million) project.
Equis said it has secured approval from state-owned transmission company Powerlink and the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) to connect the Lower Wonga battery energy store system to the National Electricity Market (NEM).
The Lower Wonga battery, being developed near Gympie about 150 kilometres north of Brisbane, will be connected into the electricity grid via a transmission line linking to the nearby 275 kV Woolooga substation.
Equis said it will be in a position to commence construction of the battery project later this year with the system expected to start operations in 2026.
The company said the battery, with a storage capacity up to 200 MW and discharge capacity up to 800 MWh, will allow for more solar and wind energy to be integrated into the grid while providing grid stability services.
“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,” Equis Australia Investment Director Roby Camagong said.
“Grid-scale battery storage fills this key short-term role.”
The Lower Wonga battery is part of a “high-quality” pipeline of battery energy storage projects Equis is developing across Australia.
Among the portfolio is the Melbourne Renewable Energy Hub being built in Victoria. With approvals in place for up to 1.2 MW / 2.4 GWh storage capacity, the project promises to be one of the biggest batteries in the world.
Equis’ other battery projects include the 300 MW / 600 MWh Calala battery energy storage system being developed near Tamworth in New South Wales and the proposed 200 MW / 800 MWh Koolunga battery project to be built near Brinkworth in South Australia.
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