Pacific Green, a global battery energy storage company, has secured planning consent from the South Australian government for two grid-scale battery energy parks in the Limestone Coast region of South Australia.
The Limestone Coast Energy Park assets will consist of a 0.5 GW / 1.5 GWh battery energy storage system, which will be developed and constructed in two phases over the next 36 months. Once operational, the assets will help strengthen the region’s grid stability.
“Australia is witnessing one of the world’s fastest growth renewable energy markets, so it is critical that battery energy storage grows at the same pace to support the grid network’s expansion of renewable generation," said Scott Poulter, Chairman and Group GEO of Pacific Green.
Construction of the energy parks will begin at the end of 2024, and the first phase is expected to be operational in H2 2026. Pacific Green plans to work with local suppliers and a local workforce throughout the construction phase. The company has also launched a supplier portal and will soon host a local supplier networking morning.
The energy parks are the first set of assets to roll out in Pacific Green's 8.5 GWh development pipeline of battery energy parks throughout Australia. In addition, the company is planning to build a multi-gigawatt nationwide platform to help accelerate the country's transition to renewables.
“It's encouraging to see more private sector investment in energy storage. An increase in storage will provide greater capacity at peak times, extending the availability of electricity generated by cheap renewables," said Tom Koutsantonis, the Government of South Australia's Minister for Energy and Mining.