“The scale of this project is impressive, delivering the largest total dispatch duration of an operating battery or project under construction in the Southern Hemisphere,” said Greg Jarvis, Head of Energy Supply and Operations at Origin.
The Eraring battery will connect to Australia’s National Electricity Market (NEM), enhancing energy security and reliability in New South Wales as renewable energy supply increases.
“Embarking on stage three of the Eraring battery is a major step forward in transforming the Eraring power station and supporting Origin in achieving their goal to exit coal-fired generation,” commented Andrew Tang, Vice President of Energy Storage & Optimisation at Wärtsilä Energy.
A critical aspect of the system is Wärtsilä’s GEMS Digital Energy Platform, which monitors and controls power flows, enabling facilities like Eraring to provide grid support during periods of instability. GEMS will provide firming capacity to balance Origin’s generation portfolio in support of its retail customer load.
Eraring stage 3 will employ Wärtsilä’s “fully integrated, modular, and compact” Quantum energy storage system, which, according to Wärtsilä, offers “low lifecycle costs, fast deployment times, and the highest quality control.”
Wärtsilä says it has worked closely with Origin to meet stringent noise requirements for the site, resulting in a site-specific noise solution.
Wärtsilä will also provide a long-term service agreement to Origin for the supplied equipment.
Eraring stage 1 and 3 will operate in gridfollowing mode, with the potential to switch operation to grid-forming in the future, providing the capability to supply a variety of system strength and system restart ancillary services. Stage 2 will operate in grid-forming mode as soon as it enters commercial operation.
Origin selected Wärtsilä for stage 1 of the project in 2023 and stage 2 earlier in 2024. Completion of stage 3 is expected alongside stage 1, at the end of 2025. Stage 2 is expected to come online at the beginning of 2027.
Wärtsilä says its energy storage portfolio in Australia now exceeds 3.3 GWh.
CIP charges to the top of the UK battery stack
Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) has, through its flagship fund CI IV, achieved positive financial investment decision (FID) and issued notice to proceed to commence construction of two further battery energy storage system (BESS) projects in Scotland.
Coalburn 2 is situated in South Lanarkshire, adjacent to CIP’s existing Coalburn 1 BESS project, and Devilla is situated in Fife, near the town of Kincardine.
Each project is sized at 500 MW and, once commissioned, will be the largest battery storage projects in Europe, CIP believes.
The two new projects represent an investment of approximately £800 million. They expand CIP’s UK BESS construction portfolio from one to three projects and, according to CIP, make it the largest battery storage investor in the UK.
The CIP UK BESS portfolio (Coalburn 1, Coalburn 2, and Devilla) will have a total power of 1.5 GW, with 3 GWh of storage capacity.
Nischal Agarwal, partner at CIP, said: “CIP’s latest investments in Scottish battery energy storage will support the UK’s pursuit of a clean power system by 2030 and delivering a net zero carbon economy by 2050. Battery storage that is well located, like our Coalburn and Devilla projects, enhances energy security, provides the grid with much needed flexibility and enables low cost renewables to be deployed faster. CIP is fully committed to a vibrant Scottish renewable sector.”
In February 2022, CIP’s CI IV fund entered a partnership with Alcemi, a London based largescale- BESS developer, to develop a UK wide portfolio of BESS projects to FID. CIP’s FID for Coalburn 2 and Devilla comes approximately one year after an equivalent decision for Coalburn 1. Battery technology provider e-STORAGE, a subsidiary of Canadian Solar and a Tier 1 global energy storage solutions provider, will supply the battery systems for all three projects. H&MV Engineering and the OCU Group have been contracted to supply balance of plant and electrical engineering services for Coalburn 2 and Devilla, respectively. Wood Group is providing construction management services for both the Coalburn 2 and Devilla sites.
Founded in 2012, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners is the world’s largest dedicated fund manager within the greenfield renewable energy investment sector and a global leader in offshore wind. The funds managed by CIP focus on investments in offshore and onshore wind, solar PV, biomass and energy-from-waste, transmission and distribution, reserve capacity, storage, advanced bioenergy, and power-to-X. In the UK, CIP is investing in over 30 GW of renewable energy infrastructure, representing over £15 billion of future investment potential, the company says.
Statera takes on Carlton’s 680 MW battery scheme
Carlton Power and Statera Energy have entered an agreement for Statera Energy to acquire the rights to build a 680 MW battery energy storage system (BESS) at the Carlton-owned Trafford Low Carbon Energy Park in Greater Manchester, UK.
The Energy Park was, until 1991, the location of the Carrington coal-fired power station. Under Carlton Power’s stewardship, the site has seen the construction of a flexible gas-fired power station (in operation since 2016 and owned by ESB) and an agreement put in place for Highview Power to build a liquid air energy storage (LAES) facility.
Carlton Power secured planning consent in 2023 for up to about 2 GW of BESS capacity on the Trafford site, and in addition, obtained planning consent in 2022 to build a green hydrogen production facility of up to 200 MW on the site.
The first phase of the Trafford Green Hydrogen facility – a 15MW scheme – has secured a financial support contract from the UK Department for Energy Security & Net Zero and is targeted to enter operation within the next two years.
Hithium launches “first sodium-ion battery for utility-scale energy storage”
On 12 December, 2024, Hithium launched ∞Cell N162Ah, which it says is the first sodium-ion battery specifically designed for utility-scale energy storage. Launched at the second Hithium Eco-Day, in Beijing, China, the new battery is designed to excel in wide temperature ranges and high-rate discharge scenarios, with “outstanding cycle life, energy efficiency, high-rate charge/discharge capabilities, and round-trip efficiency.” The ∞Cell N162Ah is now available for “global sampling”, says Hithium, with GWh mass production planned for Q4 2025.
There are three primary routes to sodiumion battery technology. Traditional layered oxide and Prussian blue/white technologies have limitations in terms of cycle life and high-temperature stability that hinder their energy storage applications. In contrast, polyanion (sodium iron ortho-pyrophosphate cathode) technology unlocks the potential of sodium-ion batteries due to its advantages when it comes to round-trip energy efficiency, low-temperature performance, and charge/ discharge rate. It is well-suited for utility-scale energy storage scenarios that require high life cycles, stability, and safety, says Hithium.
The ∞Cell N162Ah employs a sodium iron ortho-pyrophosphate cathode with a hard carbon anode. Through Hithium’s optimisation measures, it achieves long cycle life, high temperature stability, wide temperature range, high-rate capability, high round-trip efficiency, and superior safety. At 25°C and 1P power conditions, its capacity retention is 94.2% after 4000 cycles and it is expected to achieve a cycle life of over 20 000 cycles at a state of health (SOH) of 70%. Additionally, at 45°C, the cycle life improves by more than five times, with a capacity retention of 92.5% after 4000 cycles.
The ∞Cell N162Ah sodium-ion battery has successfully passed the rigorous safety tests specified in the GB/T 44265 standard for utility-scale energy storage systems, including drop, crush, short circuit, overcharge/over discharge, and thermal runaway tests. It also complies with GB/T 31485 and has successfully passed the nail penetration test, ∞Cell N162Ah also features an ultra-long 0V shelf life. After being stored at 0V for 6 months, the battery experiences zero capacity loss and maintains unaffected cycling performance compared to a newly manufactured battery. During assembly, even if the anode and cathode are short-circuited, there is no risk of sparking or electric shock. In transportation scenarios, such as crush incidents or system overturns, battery safety is maintained without the risk of combustion or explosion.
AMEA Power’s pivotal projects
AMEA Power has been awarded two pivotal battery energy storage projects through Bid Window 2 of BESIPPPP, organised by South Africa’s Department of Electricity and Energy.
The Gainfar and Boitekong projects, located in the North West Province, will each have a capacity of over 300 MWh. These projects will play a vital role in strengthening Eskom’s grid stability. As South Africa continues to grapple with frequent blackouts and load shedding, these BESS projects are expected to help mitigate risks and contribute to the country’s energy security.
The Gainfar project will be connected to the Ngwedi substation, while the Boitekong roject will be connected to the Marang substation.
Both projects will deliver essential power, energy, and ancillary services to Eskom through 15- year Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), further solidifying AMEA Power’s role in the country’s energy landscape. Once operational, these energy storage systems will provide robust, reliable backup power, enabling a stable grid and supporting South Africa’s renewable energy journey.
The announcement follows AMEA Power’s earlier success, in December 2022, when the company was awarded the 120 MW Doornhoek solar PV project through Bid Window 6 of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP).
Abydos project, Aswan, Egypt
Meanwhile, in Egypt, AMEA Power, in a strategic partnership with Trinasolar, is supplying its Elementa 2 platform (5 MWh) for the 300 MWh Abydos battery energy storage project in Aswan, Egypt. This landmark project is said to be the largest solar PV initiative in Africa and the first in North Africa and Egypt to incorporate a utility-scale battery energy storage system.
Developed by AMEA Power, the Abydos solar PV project is said to be a “transformative expansion” of the existing 500 MW Abydos solar PV power plant, which is in operation, in Kom Ombo, Aswan Governorate. By pioneering the integration of a 300 MWh battery storage system the project is said to underscore “Egypt’s commitment to sustainable energy innovation and resilience.”
The Elementa 2 platform, featuring Trinasolar’s in-house vertically integrated LFP (LiFePO4) cells, is described as an “advanced grid-scale battery storage system built for efficiency, safety, and reliability.” Key features include an innovative module design to enhance energy density and compatibility with multiple PCS systems, precise thermal management through smart liquid cooling technology, and comprehensive safety systems with advanced fire mitigation and suppression features.
This article first appeared in Modern Power Systems magazine.
