EnergyAustralia to build 50 MW battery in SA

EnergyAustralia is on track to develop a new grid-scale battery project at Hallett in South Australia. The battery will be located alongside the utility’s Hallett Power Station in Canowie, 210 km north of Adelaide.

With an initial storage capacity of 50 MW and a discharge capacity of up to 200 MWh, the Hallett Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) will be able to power up to 81,000 homes and small businesses for four hours.

Daniel Nugent, Head of Portfolio Development at EnergyAustralia, said the Hallett BESS’s development and environmental planning were well advanced, with the utility intending to expand its capacity to 150 MW and 600 MWh after the successful completion of Stage 1.

Nugent added that the battery would support South Australia’s position as a leader in clean energy generation.

“In just over 16 years South Australia’s electricity mix has shifted from below 1% renewables to more than 70% of energy generated by wind and solar. This is the highest in the world for a grid this size,” he said.

“On a peak summer day, our Hallett gas-fired power station can provide approximately 5% of South Australia’s power needs during peak periods.

“Over the longer term, the Hallett battery will allow us to transition our gas-fired power station to be in strategic reserve, decrease our emissions and support more renewables coming into the system.”

Nugent said that developing this battery alongside a power station on land already owned by EnergyAustralia would bring big benefits for the project’s construction and delivery. “For example, we can use the existing transmission infrastructure avoiding the need to build new transmission lines on private land,” he said.

The project will undergo further assessments and community consultation and is subject to the necessary South Australian planning approvals. Subject to approvals, the Hallett battery is expected to be operational as early as the beginning of 2026.

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