Site works are well underway on the Greenbank Battery, south of Brisbane, in an Australian-first partnership between publicly owned CS Energy and Powerlink Queensland.
The $300 million project is part-funded by the Queensland Government's Queensland Renewable Energy and Hydrogen Jobs Fund.
The Treasurer and Minister for Trade and Investment, Cameron Dick, and Minister for Energy, Renewables and Hydrogen, Mick de Brenni, visited the Greenbank Battery site today to inspect progress, along with local members of Parliament.
CS Energy is building the battery on Powerlink-owned land at the Greenbank Substation, which will enable Powerlink to continue delivering a safe, reliable and cost-effective supply of electricity in South East Queensland.
The most recent addition to the site was Powerlink's transformer which has a total weight of 326 tonnes (pictured at right above).
The transformer is a vital link at the substation, transferring stored energy into the grid and onto consumers.
Once operational in 2025, the 200 megawatt/400 megawatt hour Greenbank Battery will help the operation of the power grid by storing electricity when demand is low and then releasing it back into the grid during peak demand periods, delivering a more secure and reliable transmission network into the future.
Large-scale batteries are an ideal partner for renewable energy because they store excess energy produced during sunny or windy periods so it can be used later on when it is needed most.
CS Energy CEO Darren Busine said the project is the first of its kind where an energy company will collaborate with a transmission company to develop an asset for the benefit of both customers and the stability of the power system.
"CS Energy is investing in energy storage to create a more flexible portfolio to meet our customers’ requirements and Queensland’s future energy needs," Mr Busine said.
“This is our second battery project and we are again working with Tesla because they set the industry benchmark for energy storage product design and safety.
“CS Energy appreciates Greenbank residents giving up their time to attend our community drop-in session in August and we are committed to providing ongoing updates and answering any questions they may have.”
Through a newly established Greenbank Battery community benefit fund, CS Energy will invest $20,000 in local community organisations and initiatives in 2023/24.
Image: CS Energy CEO Darren Busine (centre) with Greenbank Battery Project Manager Gordi Vanniasinghe (left) and Andrew Timms from construction contractor Consolidated Power Projects.
The Greenbank Battery will consist of 108 Tesla Megapack systems and have the capacity to power 66,000 homes for up to two hours before needing to recharge.
The first Megapack systems are expected to start arriving on site in late 2024 and the battery will become operational in the middle of 2025.
For more information, visit the Greenbank Battery web page.