Playford Battery, upon commissioning, will complement the output of SIMEC Energy Australia’s Cultana Solar Farm

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Image: Illustration of Playford Utility Battery in South Australia. Photo: courtesy of SIMEC Energy Australia.

SIMEC Energy Australia has secured development approval for the proposed Playford Utility Battery to be built outside of Port Augusta in South Australia.

Following review by the South Australian Government, the South Australian Minister for Planning Stephan Knoll has approved the development of one of the largest batteries in the world.

Playford Battery has a nominal capacity of 100MW/100MWh

With a nominal capacity of 100MW/100MWh, the Playford Battery will have the capacity to provide a peak response of 135MW when demand is at its highest.

Commenting on the approval, SIMEC Energy Australia CEO Marc Barrington said: “Securing Development Approval is another important milestone in SIMEC Energy Australia’s work to invest US$1Billion to deliver 1GW of vital dispatchable renewable energy to the National Electricity Market.

“Delivering this important firming asset into the National Electricity Market, will provide greater stability and enable SIMEC Energy Australia to provide globally competitive energy to our customers. The battery will provide significant benefits for the region and energy users who partner with SIMEC Energy Australia for their energy needs.

“This asset is also being considered under the ARENA Advancing Renewables Program. This funding, if realised, will bring this project to life – enabling its delivery – as well as continuing to enhance retail electricity competition within South Australia.”

The Playford Battery, upon commissioning, is expected to complement the output of SIMEC Energy Australia’s Cultana Solar Farm.

The firm said that the battery will provide several innovative services to the grid such as market arbitrage, frequency control ancillary services (FCAS), and fast frequency response (FFR).

In addition to providing enhanced stability to the grid required to support Australia’s transitions to a low carbon economy, the Playford Battery will create up to 50 jobs during construction phase.

The company said: “Following on from SIMEC Energy Australia’s environmental focus for the delivery of the Cultana Solar Farm, the Playford Battery has been designed to minimise its environmental impact. The facility has been designed to minimise its footprint and utilises only approximately 3ha of the 8ha of land available.”