243MWp solar-plus-storage project wins NSW tender; Octopus Australia secures approval for 80MW hybrid PV project

AEMO also signed an LTESA to procure energy from renewable energy developer Iberdrola Australia’s 140MW Flyers Creek wind farm.

The NSW Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap aims to support the private sector in delivering 12GW of new renewable electricity generation, such as wind and solar, and 2GW of long-duration energy storage, such as batteries and pumped hydro, by 2030.

The two projects, totalling 312MW of combined energy, were selected following a comprehensive process to evaluate each project’s financial benefit to energy consumers and host communities.

AEMO Services’ executive general manager Nevenka Codevelle said that with these new agreements, the number of LTSEs signed as part of the roadmap has reached “seven in less than two years” and showcases “substantial progress in delivering NSW’s future energy system”.

Codevelle added that AEMO Services was conscious of the work ahead in the State’s energy transition but identified strong momentum within the market.

“These two projects are worthy additions to a healthy pipeline of projects already supported across NSW, but it is clear that we’ll need to secure further investment at or near record levels to 2030 and beyond if we are to meet our targets and deliver a reliable supply of cleaner, more affordable electricity for NSW consumers,” Codevelle said.

Octopus Australia obtains technical approval for 80MW solar-plus-storage project

Clean energy investor Octopus Investments Australia revealed last week (27 June) that it had obtained approval for generator performance standards (GPS) for a 80MW solar-plus-storage project in Victoria.

Part of the Connections Reform Initiative, the Fulham Hybrid Battery Project, in partnership with AEMO and Australian energy delivery business AusNet, is one of the first DC-coupled battery storage projects to secure such approval and will have a capacity of 128MWh.

The project will be located approximately 10km West of Sale in Gippsland on 400 acres of land. The project is due to commence construction in early 2025 and has a power purchase agreement (PPA) from the Victoria government awarded under the Second Victorian Renewable Energy Target Auction, which took place in October 2022.

The financial close for the project is anticipated by the end of 2024.

Sonia Teite, co-managing director of renewables Australia at Octopus Investments, said the project would enter construction “in the next 12 months” and deliver various benefits to the Gippsland community.

Solar-plus-storage projects see a rise in the Australian market

Much like the Fulham Hybrid Project, solar-plus-storage developments are steadily becoming more common in the Australian market.

In May 2024, the Australian government approved an 800MW solar-plus-storage project to be developed by SkyLab in South Queensland. While the Punchs Creek Solar Farm battery energy storage system (BESS) was stated to have a 250MW output by the Australian government, it might actually have an output of 200MW and a capacity of 250MWh, as covered by Energy-Storage.news.

Elsewhere in Queensland, Australian renewable energy developer Edify Energy proposed constructing and operating a 200MW solar PV farm near the Callide coal-fired power station last month (14 June). The developer confirmed it would incorporate a 4-hour duration 200MW/800MWh BESS at the site.

Meanwhile, in New South Wales, Enel Green Power Australia, a joint venture company co-owned by Enel Green Power and Inpex Corporation, confirmed last month (17 June) that its AU$190 million 98MW solar-plus-storage project will commence construction in Q3 2024.

The Quorn Park Hybrid Project, which will feature a 20MW/40MWh BESS, will be located approximately 10km northwest of Parkes, to the West of Sydney.