22 November 2024

Net zero milestone: Construction starts on Williamsdale Battery Energy Storage System

| Ian Bushnell
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An artist’s impression of the Williamsdale Battery Energy Storage System. It will store enough renewable energy to power one-third of Canberra for two hours during peak demand. Image: ACT Government.

The $300-400 million Williamsdale Battery Energy Storage System will plug into the ACT electricity grid from early 2026, with construction now underway on the site adjacent to the solar farm.

A partnership between the ACT Government and global energy storage leader Eku Energy, the 250 megawatts BESS will be part of the Evoenergy distribution network. It will store enough renewable energy to power one-third of Canberra for two hours during peak demand.

The project uses an Australia-first revenue-sharing model in which the government will receive an expected $20-25 million a year from revenue generated by the Williamsdale BESS’s participation in the National Electricity Market.

In return, the government will pay Eku a quarterly payment, which is commercial in confidence, but the government does not have any upfront costs for the development.

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Chief Minister Andrew Barr said at a sod-turning ceremony at the Williamsdale site that the model had potential for other government procurement.

“I think that will not only provide a good template for future ACT Government procurement, but a model that can be extended nationally,” he said.

Mr Barr said this investment not only supported the effectiveness and reliability of the energy network but also generated revenue for the community that could be reinvested in further renewable energy projects and community services.

Eku CEO Daniel Burrows said the project would provide grid security, delivering power almost instantaneously when needed.

“If we look at the transmission network and the distribution network, it needs to operate within certain technical parameters such as voltage frequency, so the battery can respond in milliseconds to provide those services into the grid to make sure it operates safely and reliably,” he said.

“What it also does is it stores energy when it’s abundant and makes it available when it is less abundant, so it supports the grid in making that energy available when it’s needed, and also in making sure the grid’s robust and there for us when we need it.”

Eku Energy CEO Daniel Burrows and Chief Minister Andrew Barr after the sod-turning ceremony. The construction site is in the background. Photo: Ian Bushnell.

Mr Barr said the start of the Williamsdale BESS marked a milestone in the ACT’s commitment to a net-zero future and would be part of a wider ecosystem of batteries of varying sizes in the ACT.

He said the Canberra Big Battery would need to grow as demand for electricity increased and the ACT transitioned from gas to electric over the next couple of decades.

“It is clear to us that we will need to continue to procure more renewable energy, and we will need to continue to procure more battery storage systems, not only for our jurisdiction but to play our part in the National Energy Market,” he said.

Mr Burrows announced a Williamsdale BESS Community grants program to foster employment, support education, social connectedness and environmental initiatives through a $500,000 community fund that will be available for local, non-profit organisations. Applications were now open and on the BESS website.

Eku has also committed an additional $500,000 to the Australian National University’s battery storage and grid integration program to support research and development and enhance the uptake of projects.

“We believe this will further accelerate the ACT’s transition to a low-carbon economy,” Mr Burrows said.

“As a global business, we’re also particularly proud to be able to travel around the world and talk to other governments and partners about the wonderful work that’s happening here in Canberra and also the wonderful work that the ANU is doing that is very relevant and is leading on an international scale.”

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Mr Burrows brushed off questions about the Coalition’s nuclear position and any market uncertainty it may be bringing.

“There’s a large amount of uncertainty and has been for a number of years,” he said again.

“We focus on the individual bottom-up business case for each of our projects, and what we do is we make sure that those projects are delivering the most cost-effective outcomes, and that’s the guiding principle we use in terms of opportunity selection and where we choose to invest.”

But Mr Barr said the Coalition’s policy made no difference to the need to shift to renewables.

He said coal-fired powered stations were coming to the end of their lives, and nuclear was decades away, if at all.

“It’s massively more expensive than this sort of storage solution,” he said.

“This provides cheaper energy, more reliable energy and generates a revenue return for the Territory, so I think it stands alone.”

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“In return, the government will pay Eku a quarterly payment, which is commercial in confidence”

It shouldn’t be. This is taxpayers money, and we have a right to know if it is being spent responsibly.

If the cost stacked up, they’d be crowing it from the mountain tops.

Plenty of good intentions here, just waiting for the ACT Government to apply their usual implementation compromises and provide something that “partially delivers” on the promised outcomes.

Capital Retro8:55 am 26 Nov 24

The road to hell is paved with good intent, bigred.

While this might seem to work, when you need it to work it wont. Like most batteries it is not going to work with any efficiency at temperatures below 0 on or

Usually battery packs like this shutdown for those or require heating or cooling which greatly reduces their efficiency.

The batteries only have a useful life of 10 years. So whatever we’re paying has to cover the costs to build run and clean up in a decade.

We’re better investing in flywheel technology. Lasts for decades and only requires some bearings and magnets. Maybe some concrete or steel. 100% recyclable.

I didn’t see in the article what technology is being used in the batteries. I have been reading about a technology that has unlimited cycles (not like lithium or lead-acid), although there is still some maintenance required (as usual).

They’ll be using some form of Lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) battery. That’s the general cheapest most reliable storage atm. That will discharge happily from -20c to 60deg C. Not many -20 nights in Canberra lately. Typical charging temp range is 0c to 50c. Charging will be during the day from excess solar so unless we start getting negative temps during the day and these batteries aren’t just sitting in the paddock your objections are groundless. You wouldn’t even need to cool them during the day if you didn’t want to. Otherwise just cover the roofs with solar panels to run the airconditioners.
Btw they don’t have a useful life of 10 years they just lose capacity over time. Most LiFePO4 batteries have a 10000 cycle capacity to 70%.

They’ll be using some form of Lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) battery. That’s the general cheapest most reliable storage atm. That will discharge happily from -20c to 60deg C. Not many -20 nights in Canberra lately. Typical charging temp range is 0c to 50c. Charging will be during the day from excess solar so unless we start getting negative temps during the day and these batteries aren’t just sitting uncovered in the paddock your objections are groundless. You wouldn’t even need to cool them during the day if you didn’t want to. Otherwise just cover the roofs with solar panels to run the airconditioners.
Btw they don’t have a useful life of 10 years they just lose capacity over time. Most LiFePO4 batteries have a 8000 cycle capacity to 70%. That’s if you run them completely flat every day. Works out to about 21 years, and you’re still getting 70% capacity at that time.
https://www.litime.com/blogs/blogs/lifepo4-temperature-range

Don’t bring facts into it Fred. Many on here don’t like them lol.

fredfred: Is that your guess, or do you have a reliable source that is the technology they are using?

wildturkeycanoe1:01 pm 24 Nov 24

$300 to $400 million, for which the 20-21 budget had allowed $100 million already.

And another winner for canberra, just don,t tell us the cost

Cheaper than coal & gas, way cheaper than nuclear.

Ha, ha… you do have a sense of humour. So why is it that the more renewables that are being built, the higher our energy bills go? And why does the Federal government need to provide subsidies if renewables are the cheapest form of energy? Sooner or later, reality bites!

wildturkeycanoe9:32 pm 23 Nov 24

Is that 1/3 of Canberra for 2 hours at present peak demand or the peak demand 5 to 10 years from now when gas is phased out and EV’s are plugged in by the tens of thousands? Well, the answer is, according to Eku’s info page, based on Winter demand in 2022. So likely in five to ten year’s time it might keep a smaller fraction of Canberra powered for a smaller duration than advertised. What will be the REAL capacity of this system? Who knows?

It’s main function isn’t for energy storage but rather grid reliability, so the discussion around how long it would supply Canberra’s electricity for is a lower order issue.

Although they will obviously have the ability to make money feeding into the grid when wholesale prices are high enough to make it profitable, which is entirely the point from an investment perspective.

Is it going to be sold to the tax payer only as grid reliability? If it’s not then the concern holds

Henry,
If its economically feasible, who cares how its sold to the ignorant people?

You know, as is perfectly exemplified in these comments, some even claiming these batteries will only last ten years or won’t work in cold weather despite numerous real world examples of going well beyond that level of performance.

A net zero solution built with anything but net zero construction methods

Unless you have a magic wand, it’s not going to happen over night.

How long before the whole lot needs replacing – 10, 15 years?

Without substantial taxpayers funding this thing would NEVER get built. Noted the “commercial in confidence” which is leftist speak when the government is footing most of cost either through direct subsidies or government build involvement. We are being conned by these individuals and even when they understand that the physics science doesn’t back up their ideology (which is almost never) they proceed anyway.

LMAO….nuclear is way more expensive but don’t let that get in the way.
https://www.csiro.au/en/research/technology-space/energy/gencost

Only people who don’t understand how the electricity grid functions would say that facilities like this would never make money.

There are already numerous examples of fully private big battery facilities which have made significant profits in the NEM providing these services.

It’s the private investors who are driving them.

First mistake Seano, quoting the partisan CSIRO

Nuclear will run 24/7, not 2 hours occasionally for a minor part of Canberra. Value for money and reliable power.

The CSIRO and rest of the industry is now “partisan” because the facts and research they present don’t agree with the actual partisans who disagree with the reality of the change that is occurring almost wholly for economic reasons.

@Futureproof
So, Fp, perhaps you can provide the “real” cost of the nuclear plan for Australia – given, according to you, the CSIRO scientists are biased, and obviously have no idea what they are talking about.

“First mistake Seano, quoting the partisan CSIRO”

Cool, cool, cool, cool…ok Champion show where exactly the Gencost report is partisan….if what you’re saying is not idiotic partisanship which makes you look foolish then you should be able to demonstrate where the Gencost report is wrong. Good luck with that.

Renewables also run 24/7 and are massively cheaper than nuclear (without the waste btw).

The fact that you don’t understand the energy market Elf (and your apparent unwillingness to get informed rather than post out of ignorance) doesn’t change that.

We are at the absolute minimum (if everything goes well) 15 years away from commissioning a nuclear plant in Australia, the costs would be staggering.

Any battery storage solution requires electrical energy to keep the battery charged. Something the green energy zealotry never takes into account in any modelling or business plan. The battery will NEVER generate profit revenue because of this irrefutable fact of physics. Every individual that has ever used rechargeable batteries in their mobiles phones knows this along with all the devices relying on rechargeable batteries. Then after 12 to 15 years the entire battery will be exhausted The questions that should be asked of the ACT Government are many and “Commercial in confidence” is definitely not a good enough answer. Mainly how much money are ACT taxpayers on the hook for, how much electrical energy is required to keep the battery charged (it will be a lot & most will come from non-renewable sources) and lastly what is the replacement cost when said battery is exhausted in a bit over a decade. NOT GREEN, NOT CLEAN and NOT SUSTAINABLE.

Two hours of power? That should be long enough for the stokers to get enough coal burning to create reliable power!

lol Coal is anything but reliable, outages are common…you just never generally noticed them because we didn’t run the grid off one coal plant or unit…in the same way we won’t be running it off one battery (you can look this stuff you know rather than just spouting nonsense).

PS. It typically takes 7 hours to bring coal online. Half an hour for gas…seconds for batteries…*shocked face*

Coal has become unreliable because their shutting them down for the always unreliable renewables LOL.

Can you prove that nonsense?

Be both know you can’t.

Capital Retro12:55 pm 23 Nov 24

““It’s (nuclear) massively more expensive than this sort of storage solution,”
Says the CM who can’t even tell us how much his pet project is.

Nuclear is massively more expensive than coal, which is more expensive than renewables.

https://www.csiro.au/en/research/technology-space/energy/gencost

Even if we start today a nuclear power plant would not be commissioned until until 2039 IF everything goes well.

Your not understanding the energy market (and yet still rabidly posting on it) does not change those facts.

Nuclear is a culture wars talking point aimed at people who don’t understand the energy market and/or culture war dummies.

No nuclear power plant will ever be built in Australia because the energy market in Australia is dependent on many different parties, not just the feds, and those parties particular the states and energy retailers don’t want to get stuck with the massive bill for Dutton’s talking point for something they won’t need by 2039.

Capital Retro8:22 am 24 Nov 24

How much are renewables costing?

Capital Retro isn’t even smart enough to realise the answer to his questions has already been provided in the links above.

Maybe try to read and understand them before commenting again?

Less than coal and way less than nuclear…read the report.

Capital Retro12:43 pm 24 Nov 24

If you believe those figures maybe you have a bridge to sell too?
The government is now plundering the Future Fund because they can’t borrow any more money for this folly.
Hope you aren’t an ageing public servant on a PSS defined benefit pension because soon the government will be paying you with RECS.

Capital Retro4:53 pm 24 Nov 24

In dollars please Seano. This isn’t Playschool.

Capital Retro
Do you ever tire of completely making excrement up in your comments?
“Raiding the future fund” LOL.

@Cap Retro

“First mistake Seano, quoting the partisan CSIRO”

followed by

“In dollars please Seano. This isn’t Playschool.”

The figures are in the report you haven’t read, but are dismissing because you’d rather post out of partisan ignorance on the energy market than know what you’re talking about.

It doesn’t matter what data, facts, evidence or expertise is put in front of you because your opinions are not informed by those things and therefore can be dismissed.

Meanwhile, only dopes who don’t understand the energy market believe Nuclear will happen in Australia, the simple fact is the energy retailers & states don’t want it because it’s too expensive and too slow.

Capital Retro11:46 am 25 Nov 24

“First mistake Seano, quoting the partisan CSIRO”
I never said that.
You are lucky the misinformation bill isn’t proceeding because if it was, you would be toast.

Sorry, posted the wrong dumb partisan quote that betrays literally no undergoing of energy market despite an obsessive willingness to bang on about it…

“If you believe those figures maybe you have a bridge to sell too?”

The rest of the comment stands.

So we have all been preached that ACT energy has been 100% renewable since 2020. We all knew that was a load of bull####, and now we are told that we need a $400 000 battery to power one third of Canberra for 2 hours. And how are they going to pay for that?

Amazing how many numpties believe that

You get that because renewables are…*check notes*…renewable and there’s a huge glut of solar because renewables are…*checks notes*…fast and cheap to build…that these batteries essentially pay for themselves by distributing cheap energy at peak demand times.

Capital Retro9:03 am 26 Nov 24

“…….these batteries essentially pay for themselves by distributing cheap energy at peak demand times.”
You forgot to add “at peak prices”.
This is how the scam works you idiot. It the same as the ACT government practices land banking. Its all about supply and demand but you haven’t studied economics yet have you.

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