Australia’s Origin Energy To Establish 2 GWh Battery In Queensland

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Origin Energy has filed an environmental study with the Australian government for the construction of a new 500 MW/2,000 MWh battery energy storage facility to be developed near Kogan, approximately 40 km west of Dalby in Queensland’s Darling Downs region.

The largest combined cycle gas-fired power plant in Australia, the 630 MW Darling Downs power station, will have a battery energy storage system erected next to it. According to Origin, the Western Downs Regional Council has already granted permission for the construction and installation of a battery at the location.

The system would be connected to the grid via a 275 kV transmission line via the adjacent Braemar substation. According to Origin, the battery will use lithium-ion technology and be able to store energy for up to four hours, with the ability to discharge over a range of times.

The company said it plans to “construct and operate the BESS, to increase Queensland-based system strength and storage assets, which provides security to Queensland’s energy supply.” It also added, “The battery at Darling Downs will be charged via the existing grid connection during the day when renewable energy is plentiful and dispatched at times of peak demand,” it said.

It is projected that construction will start in the middle of 2025 and take up to 24 months to complete. Origin stated that subject to permissions, it will hold a bidding procedure to find a contractor who is qualified to provide and install the battery. When fully operational, the battery would surpass the 300 MW / 1,200 MWh planned by the state-owned energy business Stanwell near the Tarong coal-fired power station, which is located around 100 km northeast of Dalby. This would make the battery the largest in Queensland.

Additionally, it would be bigger than the two active batteries in the state: the 50 MW/100 MWh Bouldercombe battery in central Queensland, owned by Sydney-based Genex, and the 100 MW/150 MWh Wandoan South project, developed by Singapore-based Vena Energy on the Western Downs. In an effort to increase its portfolio of renewable energy sources and storage to 4 GW by 2030, Origin has added the Darling Downs battery to its array of energy storage solutions.