Australian energy company Origin Energy has announced the commencement of commercial operations at the 300 MW / 650 MWh Mortlake battery energy storage system (BESS) in south-west Victoria.
Located around 220 kilometers west of the Melbourne CBD, the Mortlake BESS is built right next to Origin Energy’s existing Mortlake Power Station. Grid connection is delivered through a dedicated substation linked into AusNet’s 500 kV Mortlake switchyard. The system is designated MLB01 in the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) registry.
Construction of the Mortlake BESS began in August 2024 after first being announced in January 2024 with an investment of approximately AU$400 million. US-based energy storage specialist Fluence served as the EPC contractor and grid-forming inverters were sourced from German manufacturer SMA.
The grid-forming inverters differ from traditional inverters with technology and hardware designed to support the grid when required, rather than simply following it.
In the above image which takes AEMO data, MLB01 can be seen operating via charging/discharging onto the grid. Source: NEMPulse
Project engineer James King gave a brief outline on the Mortlake project’s progress via a video posted to social media by Origin Energy, showing the Fluence GridStack BESS, based on its sixth-generation Fluence Cube technology, SMA inverters, transformers, and more.
“The new battery is built right next to Mortlake Power Station and the 500 kV transmission line making it an ideal location to connect to the grid,” King said.
“We’ve had 1,044 battery cubes, 62 transformers, and 116 inverters delivered and commissioned to the site. We’ve just completed the last of our hold point tests, marking the end of the major commissioning activities.
“Large batteries like this one will store power charged from solar and wind during the day, enabling it to be discharged in the mornings and evenings when this power isn’t as readily available.”
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