AGL Energy has announced that Vena Energy Australia’s Wandoan South Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) has begun entire operations, delivering 100 megawatts (MW) of capacity to the grid and storing 150 megawatts hour (MWh) of renewable energy.
In a statement, AGL said full operational dispatch rights of the Wandoan BESS have been formally handed over to the AGL on a fixed long-term contract for 15 years following successful testing and commissioning over the last 18 months.
AGL Chief Operating Officer Markus Brokhof said the Wandoan South BESS would be able to dispatch 100 MW of power to the grid during periods when renewable generators are less available due to lack of wind and sun, the equivalent of powering 57,000 homes.
“This is important for providing security to the energy market and avoiding system constraints, particularly in areas like the Darling Downs with a large local load and the potential for a high renewable energy build over the coming decade,” Brokhof stated.
According to him, storage projects such as the Wandoan South BESS will allow AGL to leverage excess solar generation in Queensland and provide capacity when the AGL’s Cooper’s Gap Wind Farm is not producing or when the energy market requires it.
“As the need for renewable energy in the generation mix continues to increase, technologies such as the Wandoan South BESS will be capable of storing clean energy during times of low demand and dispatched at times of low production or peak demand, making it the best solution to address the intermittency of renewable energy,” Vena Energy Australia Head Owen Sela stated.
Brokhof said over the past 20 years, AGL has invested $4.8 billion in renewable and firming generation, with over 2,350 MW of new generation capacity added to the grid since 2003.
