Transgrid has engaged a big battery to increase the capacity of its network in the Riverina and deliver extra renewable energy to households and businesses without building new transmission infrastructure.

Riverina and Darlington Point Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) will allow up to 120MW of additional capacity on a constrained section of the Transgrid network between Darlington Point and Wagga Wagga.

The BESS facilities are providing voltage support services to Transgrid, allowing additional renewable energy to be delivered to customers in time for the warmer months.

The services provided by the combined 150MW/300MWh lithium-ion battery, owned by Federation Asset Management and Edify Energy, will also provide flexibility in the planning of future network augmentations including the South West Renewable Energy Zone and nation-critical VNI West project.

“As the nation’s ageing coal plants retire, the need for energy storage becomes ever more pressing. Advanced grid-forming batteries like the Riverina BESS are critical to extracting the maximum capacity from our existing grid infrastructure, allowing timely integration of additional wind and solar generation into the National Electricity Market while our grid infrastructure is upgraded," Federation Asset Management co-founder and head of renewable energy Stephen Panizza said.

To find out more about how Transgrid is developing non-network solutions to meet the needs of the consumers through the energy transition, see Chapter 3 of the 2024 Transmission Annual Planning Report (TAPR).

For further information about this project visit: https://www.transgrid.com.au/projects innovation/improving-stability-in-south-west-nsw