Construction of a Tesla Megapack-powered project at the Queensland Green Power Hub has been approved

The Queensland Green Power Hub has approved the construction of a project powered by a Tesla Megapack that Neoen is developing. This is Neoen’s fourth big battery system in Australia, bringing the company’s global total of battery capacity in use or under construction to over 6 GW. By 2025, Neoen intends to reach 10 GW.

The developer of a renewable energy project with headquarters in France made the announcement toward the end of December that Tesla and UGL had been given notices to proceed with the construction of its 200 megawatt/400 MWh Western Downs Battery, which will make use of Tesla Megapack battery systems.

The battery, which is made up of Tesla Megapack systems, will make use of the company’s Western Downs Green Power Hub’s existing infrastructure. A nearly completed 460 MWp solar farm forms part of the infrastructure.

Powerlink will be responsible for completing the connection works, and the battery system will be situated adjacent to the Western Downs substation. According to Neoen, the battery would support the transmission network, firm renewables, provide frequency services, and contribute to the modernization and stability of the Queensland grid.

The battery will be equipped with grid-forming inverter technology thanks to funding from the Large Scale Battery Storage Funding Round of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA). This will enable the battery to provide the necessary system stability services normally provided by synchronous generation like coal and gas.

Darren Miller, CEO of ARENA, emphasized the significance of the role that battery storage plays in the switch to renewable energy. Neoen’s CEO, Xavier Barbaro, said that the company is proud of the new storage asset and that it will be Queensland’s most powerful battery.

“Neoen now holds a global storage portfolio of 842 MW / 1341 MWh. It also takes our total capacity past 6 GW in operation or under construction around the world – giving us confidence in our ability to reach 10 GW by 2025.”

Additionally, he stated that the Western Downs Green Power Hub would be Australia’s largest operating solar farm. With this battery, Neoen’s Australian battery storage portfolio will now include 776 MW/1279 MWh that are currently operational or under construction.

In Australia, Neoen has three other large batteries:

300 MW / 450 MWh Victorian Big Battery (Geelong)
150 MW / 193.5 MWh Hornsdale Power Reserve (Tesla Big Battery, South Australia)
100 MW / 200 MWh Capital Battery (Australian Capital Territory – under construction)

Tesla confirmed in December that its Megapack factory in Lathrop, California, can produce 10,000 Megapack units annually. Elon Musk has noticed a few times that Tesla Energy can possibly be bigger than its EV business. His earlier statements appear to be in line with the fact that the Tesla Megapack will not be available again until Q3 2024.