The Future Battery Industries Cooperative Research Centre (FBICRC) has reported the installation of Australia’s first sodium-sulfur NAS® battery at the IGO Nova nickel-copper-cobalt mine site.
The 250 kW/1.45 MWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) demonstration unit would provide long-term storage.
FBICRC Chief Executive Officer Shannon O’Rourke stated that the installation of Australia’s first NAS® battery would contribute to a faster transition to a clean energy future. O’Rourke added that over the last 20 years, the NAS® battery technology has matured and successfully deployed and operated at over 250 sites globally.
“These field deployments help build market confidence, train our workforce and build capability in the contracting community. We thank both BASF and IGO for their generous commitment to cooperative research, which enables benefits to flow to Australia as a whole,” O’Rourke said.
IGO Acting CEO stated, “IGO is committed to prioritising research and development to accelerate IGO and the broader mining industry’s response to climate change. The BASF NAS battery trial at our Nova Operation is an important way to field test the suitability of this unique technology in a mining environment and how this will contribute to a clean energy future.”
NAS® batteries are built for long-term energy storage applications (6-8 hours or more) and can shift vast amounts of energy into periods of low renewable energy generation.
Over 250 NAS® battery sites are already operational worldwide, with a total storage capacity of about 5.0 GWh.
The QUT-operated National Battery Testing Centre and the University of Western Australia will evaluate battery performance.
“We are proud to be a part of the first NAS® battery installation in Australia. Globally, BASF has committed to net zero emissions by 2050 and central to this long-term transition is the use of new technologies. We look forward to working with developers and end-users to provide batteries to support decarbonisation, electrification, grid stability and large-scale renewable energy integration,” BASF Australia and New Zealand Chair and Managing Director David Hawkins said.
The principal contractor for the design, building, and commissioning was Allset Energy, BASF’s engineering, procurement, and construction partner.
The NAS® battery at the Nova mine site is fully installed and has been operational since mid-February 2023.
