New South Wales government to partner with global renewables provider RWE on key battery storage scheme.
Leading global renewables company RWE Renewables Europe & Australia has been successful in the New South Wales competitive tender process offering long-term energy service agreements to project developers of long-duration storage projects.
RWE’s Limondale battery energy storage system, with a planned installed capacity of 50 megawatts (MW) and 400 megawatt hours (MWh) has been awarded. The project, located next to RWE’s existing 249MWac Limondale Solar Farm, will take advantage of existing grid infrastructure and is currently working towards a final investment decision in the next 12 months.
New South Wales has set an ambitious roadmap to replace ageing coal-fired power stations with zero emissions generation and storage. The bipartisan policy is backed by a schedule of auctions for new renewable and storage capacity until 2030.
Katja Wünschel, CEO RWE Renewables Europe & Australia, commented: “We are delighted to be awarded this major battery storage project and look forward to a successful partnership with the New South Wales government. RWE supports New South Wales’ ambition and appreciates the dedication shown by the government in policy design and the professionalism of Australian Energy Market Operator Services Limited in implementation which enables the market to invest with confidence.
“This success creates further momentum working towards a sustainable future in our core market Australia. In a renewables world, battery storages are key for a reliable, secure and sustainable electricity supply. We have been operating in New South Wales for some years, and now we are keen to develop a battery project that is exemplary, both technically and environmentally – hand in hand with local communities. It is another milestone on our way to expand our global batteries portfolio to 3 gigawatts by 2030.”
In Balranald, New South Wales, RWE owns and operates a solar photovoltaic plant, Limondale, with an installed capacity of 249 MWac. The large-scale solar farm is made up of 872,000 panels and covers an area of 770 hectares. Full commercial operation started in 2021.
