Neoen gave notice of intent to proceed to a partnership of Elecnor and NHOA in late December 2022, signalling the commencement of construction for its 200 MW / 400 MWh Blyth Battery in South Australia.
The battery will be positioned near the Blyth West substation and linked to the transmission network of ElectraNet. Neoen will be the long-term owner and operator of the asset in accordance with its develop-to-own business model.
According to Neoen, Blyth Battery will mainly be used in conjunction with the Goyder South Stage 1 wind farm to provide 70 MW of sustainable baseload energy to BHP, a global resources company1. The electricity will be used to power BHP’s Olympic Dam operations in South Australia, which Neoen said has one of the world’s largest resources of copper, gold, and uranium.
The Blyth Battery will eventually be integrated with grid-forming inverter technology, allowing it to deliver key system stability services currently provided by synchronous generation like coal and gas, thanks to funding from ARENA‘s recently announced Large Scale Battery Storage Funding Round.
Blyth Battery is Neoen’s fifth large battery in the National Electricity Market, bringing the company’s total Australian assets in service or under development to close to 3 GW, with a storage portfolio approaching 1 GW. Neoen is the country’s leading owner of large batteries; it already owns and runs the 300 MW / 450 MWh Victorian Big Battery and the 150 MW / 193.5 MWh Hornsdale Power Reserve, and its 100 MW / 200 MWh Capital Battery and 200 MW / 400 MWh Western Downs Battery are in the works.
“We are thrilled to be starting construction of Blyth Battery and to be approaching 3 GW of assets in operation or under construction in Australia. We would like to thank NHOA and Elecnor for their hard work and commitment, and ARENA for their trust and support. We are particularly proud of our ability to combine Blyth Battery, Goyder South wind energy and our expertise in energy management to power BHP’s Olympic Dam with renewable baseload,” Neoen Australia Managing Director Louis de Sambucy said.
ARENA CEO Darren Miller added: “Battery storage is an essential technology in the transition to renewable energy, allowing us to smooth out variable generation and store electricity for when it’s needed. Next generation grid scale batteries will underpin this transition, with inverter technology that can maintain grid stability without fossil fuels.”
Xavier Barbaro, Neoen’s Chairman and Chief Executive Of?cer concluded: “We are delighted to be building our second storage asset in South Australia, the state where we delivered the world’s first big battery back in 2017. Blyth Battery will play an essential role in providing 24/7 energy, serving as a template for future baseload contracts for our customers, both in Australia and in our other countries. Neoen is now operating at the GW scale in storage, making us one of the leading global players in batteries and one of the true accelerators of the energy transition.”
