Australia’s biggest energy retailer is seeking federal environmental approval to build an eight-hour battery energy storage system (BESS) that will add 500 MW of capacity to the battery precinct being built next to the Eraring power station on the New South Wales (NSW) Central Coast.
Origin is seeking approval under the federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act for the Eraring BESS North project that proposes the construction of a battery with a discharge capacity of 500 MW and an accessible energy storage capacity of about 4,942 MWh.
In its EPBC referral, Origin says the project responds to “structural shifts in the National Electricity Market (NEM) as the electricity sector transitions from coal-fired generation toward variable renewable energy, supported by dispatchable firming capacity such as electricity storage.”
“The development of large-scale BESS projects is critical to the ongoing transition to renewable energy,” Origin said.
“The NSW Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap targets at least 12 GW of renewable generation and 2 GW of long-duration storage by 2030, while the Australian Energy Market Operator’s 2024 Integrated System Plan forecasts that the NEM must triple grid-scale variable renewable energy by 2030, creating a firming gap that this project will help address.”
The Sydney-headquartered utility said the Eraring BESS North would operate in conjunction with the existing Eraring BESS precinct that is being built in stages.
The 460 MW / 1,770 MWh first phase of the Eraring BESS was connected to the National Electricity Market (NEM) at the start of 2026 and construction is continuing on the 240 MW / 1, 390 MWh second stage that is due to come online early in 2027. While the public numbers don’t add up, Origin said in its scoping report that once complete, the Eraring BESS will comprise an energy storage capacity of approximately 3,658 MWh.
Together, the existing and proposed BESS facilities would provide a combined maximum registered active power capacity of about 1,200 MW and a combined accessible energy storage capacity of approximately 8,600 MWh.
“This dispatchable capability decouples the project’s output from weather-dependent generation profiles, allowing it to serve periods of high demand independent of wind and solar conditions, particularly during evening peak hours,” Origin said.
Construction of the Eraring BESS North project is planned to be launched in 2028, with commercial operations scheduled for early-to-mid 2031.
Origin said the Eraring North BESS will contribute to its commitments to achieve net zero by 2050 and support its shift away from coal.
The 2.88 GW Eraring power station, the nation’s largest coal-fired generator, is scheduled to close in April 2029.
The post Origin plans 4.9 GWh battery expansion in Australia appeared first on Energy Storage.
