Another leap forward for WA big battery

Battery systems are now in place at the WA Government’s Kwinana Battery Stage Two.

The Kwinana project is on track to become WA’s biggest grid-connected battery energy storage system, providing 200 MW of power with 800 MW hours of energy storage.

Once complete, the new battery system will be capable of powering 370,000 average homes in WA for approximately four hours.

“This news marks an exciting milestone in Western Australia’s renewable energy revolution,” said Energy Minister Reece Whitby of the recent installation.

“Renewables uptake is surging in WA with the SWIS at times powered by more than 80% renewables,” he added.

State utility Synergy installed the containerised battery systems, which were supplied by Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL). Power Electronics has been contracted to provide 72 inverters.

The government said Kwinana Battery Stage Two had already created more than 160 jobs during its current construction phase. It is due to be completed in late 2024.

The project is part of a more than $3 billion investment on the part of the Cook government towards renewable energy generation, transmission and storage. This includes supporting Synergy in expanding its portfolio of battery assets to 3000 MWh of storage capacity by the end of 2025.

Premier Roger Cook said the Kwinana Battery Stage Two was a key part of WA’s energy transition, ensuring the state will have cleaner, reliable and affordable energy in the future.

“These large-scale batteries allow us to pump more renewable energy into the grid while keeping our system stable — and it’s great to see this transition happened right in the heart of the Kwinana industrial strip,” he said.

Image caption: Kwinana industrial zone. Image credit: iStock.com/chameleonseye