Historic moment in Australia’s energy transition as Hazelwood Battery Energy Storage System is commissioned

Hazelwood is Australia’s first retired coal-fired power station to host a utility-scale battery

Eku Energy and project partners ENGIE and Fluence have delivered another milestone at the site of the former Hazelwood Power Station in the Latrobe Valley in Victoria, with the commissioning of the Hazelwood Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) today. Marking a new era in Australia’s energy transition, Hazelwood is the first retired coal-fired power station to host a battery storage system in Australia and represents a key moment in repurposing former thermal assets for renewable energy technologies.

The Hazelwood BESS was officially opened on 14 June 2023 by The Hon. Lily D’Ambrosio MP, Victorian Minister for Energy & Resources, together with Rik De Buyserie, CEO, ENGIE Australia & New Zealand, Daniel Burrows, Chief Investment Officer and Head of Asia Pacific, Eku Energy, and Achal Sondhi, Vice President for Market Growth, APAC & General Manager for Australia, Fluence.

Jointly funded and developed by ENGIE and Eku Energy, the 150 MW/150 MWh Hazelwood BESS is Australia’s largest privately funded utility-scale battery. Fluence supplies, operates, and maintains the facility for the partnership and it is the first project in Australia to use Fluence’s Gridstack product to provide secure and reliable energy in Victoria and support the energy transition.

The Hon. Lily D’Ambrosio MP, Minister for Energy & Resources, Government of Victoria said:

Victoria is leading the nation in delivering battery and energy storage projects, with our ambitious energy storage targets ensuring that Victoria continues to attract industry investment and collaboration opportunities like this. The Latrobe Valley has been the home of Victoria’s energy generation for decades and new investment in technologies like energy storage this will help solidify its role in our renewable energy future.

Rik De Buyserie, CEO, ENGIE ANZ said:

ENGIE’s delivery of the Hazelwood battery  is part of our commitment to building long-term, reliable assets that play a key role in the future of Australia’s energy transition. With its access to transmission and available space at site, Hazelwood is the perfect location for an asset that can grow in depth and duration, increasing the hosting capacity for renewables.

Daniel Burrows, Chief Investment Officer and Head of Asia Pacific, Eku Energy commented:

The Hazelwood battery is an example of how strong partnerships can support the deployment of battery storage systems at strategic grid locations as Australia’s existing generation fleet transitions towards higher penetrations of renewable energy resources. Today’s event marks another proud milestone in Eku Energy’s global energy storage portfolio, as we celebrate the commissioning of 150MW of safe, secure and reliable battery capacity to accelerate the energy transition.

Achal Sondhi, Vice President for Market Growth, APAC & General Manager for Australia at Fluence said:

As the first project in Australia to deploy Fluence Gridstack, an energy storage product which is designed for the most demanding market applications, the Hazelwood battery  is a major milestone for us. By partnering with ENGIE and Eku Energy, we are bringing Fluence’s proven advanced technology combined with over 15 years of global energy storage experience to deliver industry-leading reliability, scalability, and safety to Australia. Fluence Mosaic bidding software allows the Hazelwood battery to react quickly and efficiently to grid needs and maximise the revenue while allowing integration of more clean energy. Our rapidly growing Fluence team in Australia is committed to the country’s energy transition.

The Hazelwood battery has the capacity to store the equivalent of an hour of energy generated from the rooftop solar systems of 30,000 homes. It will play a critical role in increasing renewable energy capacity in Victoria while delivering essential system services to the grid. The Hazelwood Power Station was built in the 1960s and closed in 2017 after 50 years of service, in line with ENGIE’s global strategy to be Net Zero carbon by 2045.

For further information on the Hazelwood BESS, visit https://engie.com.au/hazelwoodbattery

‍

Hear from project partners Eku Energy, ENGIE and Fluence about the delivery of Hazelwood Battery Energy Storage System.