RWE’s eight-hour lithium-ion Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) was the only successful project in New South Wales’ first Long Duration Storage Long-Term Energy Service Agreements tender process, and was awarded a Long-Term Energy Service Agreement.
With a planned capacity of 50+ megawatts (MW) and 400+ megawatt hours (MWh), the Limondale BESS will support the energy transition by storing excess renewable energy and feeding it into the NSW grid when it is needed most. The project will be located next to RWE’s 249 MWac Limondale Solar Farm – which is one of Australia’s largest. The BESS will connect to existing grid infrastructure.
Connected to a existing 33kV substation
Tesla has been selected as the BESS supplier, and Beon Energy Solutions as the delivery partner for the Balance of Plant, which includes the civil, structural, electrical and control works required to connect the Megapack to the existing 33kV substation. Construction is scheduled to start in the second half of this year, with commissioning planned for late 2025.
See also: Large storage tenders in vogue
“RWE’s investment decision and signing of supplier contracts for the Limondale BESS project is an exciting step forward in our commitment to the Australian renewables sector and support of New South Wales’ renewable energy ambitions”, Katja Wünschel, CEO RWE Renewables Europe & Australia said.
Global battery storage investments
Currently RWE operates battery storage systems with an overall capacity of more than 700 MW and 1.2 gigawatts (GW) of battery storage projects under construction worldwide. The company recently commissioned three U.S. battery storage projects totalling 190 MW. As an integral part of its Growing Green strategy, RWE plans to expand its battery storage capacity to 6 GW worldwide by 2030. (hcn)
