- Pacific Blue Australia (formerly Pacific Hydro Australia) has started building its first battery energy storage system (BESS).
- Pacific Blue Australia’s Clements Gap BESS is its first, and a second is in the pipeline at its Queensland Haughton Solar Farm.
Pacific Blue Australia (formerly Pacific Hydro Australia), a Chinese-owned renewable energy company, has started building its first battery energy storage system (BESS).
The $100 million (USD 66 million), 60 MW / 130 MWh grid-scale BESS will sit adjacent to Pacific Blue’s 56.7 MW wind farm in Clements Gap, South Australia (SA), and connect to an existing substation, minimising the need for additional transmission infrastructure to be built for the project.
The BESS will be located 160 km north of Adelaide. It consists of 50 lithium-ion battery containers with a duration of 130 MWh, which are being provided by China-headquartered Trina Solar with German-headquartered SMA Solar Technology inverters.
Pacific Blue Australia Chief Executive Officer Domenic Capomolla said battery energy storage systems are vital for the state and Australia’s broader transition to renewable energy.
“The focus of Australia’s energy transition so far has overwhelmingly been on the generation of renewable energy – storing that energy and deploying it to support grid stability is the missing piece and a critical component of Australia’s renewable energy transition,” he said.
“The construction of Clements Gap BESS is the first key milestone for Pacific Blue in realising our 2 GW capacity and energy storage solutions pipeline, which will contribute to Australia achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050.”The Clements Gap BESS is the first for Pacific Blue Australia, with a second in the pipeline at their Queensland Haughton Solar Farm.
The stored energy can be released to the grid during periods of peak demand to support grid stability. This will also support SA’s net 100 per cent renewable target by 2027.
Electricity generated from the Clements Gap wind farm currently contributes to the 100 per cent renewable powering of the city of Adelaide’s corporate and community buildings, council event infrastructure, electric vehicle chargers, barbecues in parks, water pumps, street lighting, and traffic lights.
Pacific Blue operates nine wind farms, two hydro plants, and Stage 1 of the Haughton solar farm near Townsville, Queensland. On completion, the farm will generate up to 500 MW capacity, enough to power 291,000 homes. Stage 2 will add 300 MW to the total output, including a BESS. The project directly adjoins an existing 275 kV Powerlink transmission line.