A big battery is confirmed to be built and connected to the South West Interconnected System (SWIS), the electricity grid supplying Perth and more than one million homes and businesses between Geraldton and Esperance and east to Kalgoorlie.

The contract to build a 197MW battery was awarded to Neoen by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) following a competitive process initiated with the state government through Energy Policy WA’s Coordinator of Energy.

“It will complement Synergy’s new battery at Kwinana and the $2.3 billion investment announced in the recent State Budget for further battery storage capacity in the SWIS,” energy minister Bill Johnston says.

“While the WA Government is replacing its coal-fired energy capacity with renewable infrastructure through Synergy, it is also critical for the private sector to take up the opportunity of participating and benefiting from the state’s energy transition.”

The Neoen big battery is in addition to the new battery funded in the 2023–24 State Budget and is reported to be one of the biggest battery systems in the world, providing around 500MW for up to four hours.

Collie will be the site of the sixth big battery in Australia which is forecast to be operational by the summer of 2024/25 and will be an additional piece of energy infrastructure to provide a significant boost to the security and reliability of the South West’s electricity grid, especially during the evening peak periods.