ABB deploys 30 MW battery, microgrid in Pilbara

ABB has supplied a 30 MW battery energy storage system to enable uninterrupted power supply from Alinta Energy’s Newman Power Station, which supplies mining operations in Western Australia’s Pilbara region.

The solution is said to be one of the largest of its kind to be deployed in a gas-fired power plant. A 30 MW battery energy storage system can supply 6000 homes with the power supply, where the average supply would be 5 kW.

Mining is a key focus sector in Australia and accounts for approximately 6% of the country’s GDP. The Newman Power Station, situated around 1200 km north of Perth in Western Australia, supplies power to remotely located mining operations.

ABB’s microgrid solution will provide power supply to cover the time it takes to start up a new gas turbine, when there is a fault in the running turbine causing power to trip. This back-up will enable uninterrupted supply of reliable power and prevent any disruption.

ABB’s modular and containerised microgrid will integrate five 6 MW ABB Ability PowerStore Battery energy storage systems with the power station’s existing gas turbines, providing a ‘spinning reserve’. ABB has supplied a range of transformers and switchgear to integrate the system.

The solution incorporates ABB’s Microgrid Plus automation and control technology that serves as the brain of the entire system to monitor the gas turbines and facilitate utility-grade power quality and grid stability. It is also equipped for remote service and maintenance.

“The company’s plug-and-play microgrid solution has been designed to meet complex automation requirements and will ensure grid stability and fuel saving for Alinta’s operation,” said Massimo Danieli, head of ABB’s Grid Automation business unit, a part of the company’s Power Grids division. “Microgrids and energy storage are key focus areas in our Next Level strategy, supporting our quest to provide grid stability, fuel savings, and bring reliable power to people, while reducing environmental impact, as exemplified by this project.”

ABB received the order from Kokam, a recognised storage solution provider who also supplied batteries for Solar Impulse 2 that in 2015–2016 completed a pioneering 40,000 km flight around the world exclusively on solar power. ABB was one of the main alliance partners for this historic flight.

Image supplied by ABB.