Energy Vault Holdings, Inc., a leader in sustainable, grid-scale energy storage solutions, today announced the execution of a contract with ACEN Australia for the previously announced deployments of two battery energy storage systems (BESS) totaling 400 MWh in Australia.
Energy Vault has entered into engineer, procure and construct (EPC) and operate and maintain (O&M) agreements with ACEN for the procurement, construction, operation and maintenance of ACEN’s 200MW/400MWh BESS to be co-located with ACEN’s New England Solar project.
Energy Vault has been appointed to lead the construction of ACEN Australia’s New England BESS located in New South Wales which is set to commence this year and be operational by 2026.
ACEN Australia Managing Director David Pollington said the battery and its grid forming inverters are a game-changer for the National Electricity Market.
“The New England BESS will be built using some of the most advanced grid-forming inverter technology which can provide system stability services that coal, hydro and gas generators currently provide,” he said.
“With NSW’s ageing coal fired generators due to close, large battery energy storage systems like this are critical for the successful transition to an electricity grid supplied by renewables.”
“Australia is playing a pivotal role in the global clean energy transition and has been a key market for our ongoing efforts,” said Robert Piconi, Chairman and CEO, Energy Vault. “We are excited to join forces with ACEN Australia in our shared mission to create a sustainable future.”
The BESS will be charged and discharged on a daily basis and designed to dispatch stored renewable energy at peak consumption hours to help meet the high demand during New South Wales’ peak load hours while reducing the region’s reliance on coal-fired power generation. Currently supported by the NSW Government’s Emerging Energy Program, the New England BESS project is a part of ACEN’s broader strategy in Australia, where they are actively developing over 1 GW of projects. The battery is another milestone for ACEN Australia and is co-located with ACEN Australia’s inaugural project, New England Solar, which is a significant generator in the National Electricity Market (NEM). Once finished, it will be one of the nation’s largest co-located solar and battery energy storage facilities providing stored energy to the grid when it is needed.