Energy Vault and Enervest Partner for 1 GWh Battery Energy Storage Project in Australia

Energy Vault Holdings Inc., a provider of sustainable grid-scale energy storage solutions, has announced a strategic agreement with Enervest Group for the development of a 1,000 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) at the Stoney Creek site in New South Wales, Australia. The companies are in the final stages of development and grid application approvals to advance the project to full financial investment decision.

Energy Vault will take on the role of turnkey engineering, procurement, construction, and commissioning partner for the project. The company will also manage the long-term services, including software integration and maintenance support throughout the operational life of the BESS. 

The storage system will be built using Energy Vault’s proprietary X-Vault integration platform, featuring the certified B-VAULT product and the Vault-OS Energy Management System. These technologies are designed to manage, control, and optimise the operations of the BESS. 

The announcement signals Energy Vault’s continued expansion in the Australian market. The company has multiple projects already underway in New South Wales, totaling 400 MWh, which are scheduled for completion in 2025. These initiatives contribute to Energy Vault’s B-VAULT portfolio, which currently includes over 2 GWh of projects either deployed or in development.

Australia is witnessing a significant surge in battery capacity, with new developments set to eclipse existing storage projects. The Victorian Big Battery, with a capacity of 300 MW / 450 MWh, was the largest in the southern hemisphere and one of the largest globally when it was completed three years ago. However, new projects currently under construction are set to surpass this milestone significantly.

Projects such as the Waratah Super Battery, with a capacity of 850 MW / 1,680 MWh, the Melbourne Renewable Energy Hub at 600 MW / 1,600 MWh, and the Collie site in Western Australia at 500 MW / 2,000 MWh, are poised to reshape the energy storage landscape. Australia’s battery capacity is expected to triple within the next 18 months as these projects begin operations.

Recent announcements highlight even larger multi-GWh projects, including the Kemerton project in Western Australia, which will have a capacity of 660 MW / 2,640 MWh, the Portland project at 1,000 MW / 2,500 MWh, and the Goyder North project at 900 MW / 3,600 MWh. 

The expansions couldn’t come sooner for Australia’s RE sector, where massive rooftop solar installtions have regularly started meeting over 50% of power requirements. However, the same solar power generation has also had to be curtailed when the grid has been at risk from too little demand, relatively. Thus, large batteries coming up are expected  to take a significant part of the load away during solar hours, and support a higher share of renewables powered grid by 2030.