Eight community batteries coming to regional SA

The township of Kimba in the top part of South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula will soon receive a community battery, thanks to a statewide initiative jointly funded by SA Power Networks and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).

The battery, to be installed at the Kimba District Football and Netball Clubrooms, is designed to deliver up to eight hours of access to backup power and communications during power outages. It is one of eight batteries slated for rural South Australian locations, with each intended to address the specific needs of its local community.

The Kimba battery will provide a backup power source for the community hub, helping to ensure its continued operation during lengthy power disruptions. As noted by District Council of Kimba CEO Deb Larwood, “The battery will provide much-needed backup to this community hub during an extended period of power outage, helping keep Kimba stay connected and supported in times of need.”

Another issue raised as a priority by the local community was protecting telecommunications during outages. In response to this, and in addition to the community battery, SA Power Networks will collaborate with Telstra to understand the appropriate backup power needs for Kimba’s communications network.

“Telstra has a strong focus on building a more resilient network and our battery backup at key mobile sites servicing the Kimba area will help if the power is impacted,” said Telstra Regional General Manager for South Australia Michael Patterson.

The installation of the community battery is expected to be completed towards the end of 2025 or in early 2026.

Out of SA Power Networks’ portfolio of eight batteries, two will be deployed for this type of community resilience project. The remaining batteries will trial two other kinds of use case: high-voltage network support and electric vehicle (EV) charger support.

High-voltage (HV) network support batteries

Two batteries will be installed at Robe and Lameroo on SA Power Networks’ existing substation site to provide support to specific HV lines in the SA Power Networks network. This is intended to improve the capacity of the network in targeted regional locations, improving grid reliability and enabling more renewable energy to be generated and consumed in Robe and Lameroo.

EV charger support batteries

Four batteries will be designed to support and enable the installation of EV fast chargers in regional towns across South Australia. It is hoped that these batteries will minimise the impact of new fast EV charger connections on the SA Power Networks network, in locations where connecting fast EV chargers has so far been prohibitively expensive due to network constraints.

SA Power Networks is currently working with the state government and regional councils to identify optimal sites for these batteries.

For more information on the project, visit Community Batteries Project Talking Power.

Image credit: iStock.com/Hans Wismeijer