Wartsila Wins Contract For Delivering Australia’s Largest Energy Storage Project

2AF7165 Eco friendly battery energy storage system in nature with misty forest in background and fresh grassland in foreground. 3d rendering.

Origin Energy has selected technology group Wartsila as their preferred contractor to deliver energy storage solutions for Australia’s largest energy storage projects in the first phase. The project in its first phase has plans to have 460 Megawatt (MW) and 920 MW of energy storage systems. 

These Eraring batteries will be stationed at Origin’s Power Station. It will likely be Wartsila’s largest single energy storage deal to date. The order is expected to be booked during the Q3 period of 2023, while the delivery is likely to be done between October 2023 to September 2024. 

Wärtsilä Corporation, is a Finnish company with expertise in manufacturing and providing services to power sources and other equipment in the marine and energy markets.

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These batteries are set to be connected to Australia’s National Electricity Market (NEM) and support energy security and reliability in New South Wales as the penetration of variable renewable energy supply increases.

“With significant solar and wind resources, Australia is uniquely positioned to decarbonize its energy sector rapidly. Flexible capacity, provided by energy storage projects like Origin’s Eraring battery or grid balancing engines, will be vital to achieving that as the share of renewables increases. The scale of this project positions Wärtsilä at the heart of that trend, delivering gigawatt-scale energy storage projects in each of our key markets around the world,” said Håkan Agnevall, President & CEO, Wärtsilä.

“Development of the Eraring battery is a key next step as we look to transform the Eraring site for the future, given our intention to exit coal-fired generation by August 2025. We look forward to working with Wärtsilä and key contractors to deliver the Eraring battery safely and expeditiously,” said Greg Jarvis, Head of Energy Supply and Operations at Origin Energy.

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Wärtsilä’s energy storage system (ESS) is designed with the potential to switch operation into grid-forming in the future, with the capability to supply a variety of system strength and system restart ancillary services. In addition, it will deliver stability and resilience for NEM as a higher proportion of renewable energy sources penetrate the grid, helping to facilitate Australia’s clean energy transition.

Wärtsilä was selected as the delivery partner due to its technical expertise as a leading battery storage integrator, proven delivery capability, market-leading safety standards, and ability to support Origin with lifecycle services during the operational period, a media statement from the firm said.