Construction begins on co-located BESS at 720MW solar PV plant in New South Wales, Australia

February 24, 2025
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
The New England solar PV site has approval for 1,400MW of energy storage. Image: Acen Australia.

Construction has started on a 400MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) that will be co-located with Acen Australia’s 720MW New England solar PV power plant in New South Wales, Australia.

The BESS, supplied by energy storage technology provider Energy Vault, will integrate advanced grid-forming inverters to provide system strength, stability, and network security services.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

Acen said an expanded switching yard is required to connect the BESS and second stage of the solar project to Transgrid’s transmission network. Operation on the New England solar PV power plant started in March 2023.

The solar PV plant is divided into two stages. The first stage features a 400MW PV plant and is currently operational; the second stage will add a further 320MW, with this expected to come online in 2026. This project supplies energy to Japanese-owned drinks company Asahi Beverages and not-for-profit care company BaptistCare via a power purchase agreement inked in July 2024.

Acen confirmed that the 400MWh BESS will be co-located on the first stage of the New England solar PV plant. Acen has approval for a total of 1,400MW/2,800MWh of energy storage for the project.

Lumea, the commercial arm of Australian transmission system operator Transgrid, is conducting the BESS connection. The final commissioning is expected to take place by mid-2026. It is worth noting that Lumea is also conducting grid works for the 1.6GWh Melbourne Renewable Energy Hub BESS in Victoria.

The project is located within the New England Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) and near another solar-plus-storage proposal the developer is pursuing. The proposed 320MW Deeargee solar PV power plant will be located 12km southeast of the township of Uralla and around 5km south of the New England site.

It will feature a BESS with ‘a capacity of up to 1,400MWac two-hour energy storage, which may be configured as 700 MW four‑hour energy storage,’ Acen wrote in its Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act application.

The proposed project will cover 1,544 hectares of land currently categorised as predominantly freehold. Acen confirmed it has entered into agreements with the landholders for the site.

To read the full article, please visit our sister site Energy-Storage.news.

Read Next

October 17, 2025
Norwegian renewable energy firm Scatec has signed lease agreements for 64MW of solar PV and 10MWh of energy storage capacity in Liberia and Sierra Leone.
October 17, 2025
A group of over 20 US states are suing the Trump administration for the cancellation of the US$7 billion Solar For All Scheme.
October 16, 2025
Masdar and Turkey have entered the final stage of US$1 billion agreement to develop the 1.1GW plant in Bor, Niğde Province, central Turkey.
October 16, 2025
US utility-scale solar additions grew by 56% in 2024, reaching 30GW from 2023’s 19GW and representing over 54% of all new electricity generation capacity added in the country last year.
October 16, 2025
Jakson Green and Blueleaf Energy have reached financial close for the 840MWp Bikaner solar projects in Rajasthan, western India. 
October 16, 2025
Off-grid solar company Sun King has revealed plans to set up manufacturing operations in Kenya and Nigeria.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
October 21, 2025
New York, USA
Solar Media Events
November 25, 2025
Warsaw, Poland
Solar Media Events
December 2, 2025
Málaga, Spain
Solar Media Events
February 3, 2026
London, UK