Renewable energy developer GMR Energy has started work on a 240 MW/480 MWh battery project in Victoria, Australia.
GMR Energy is now moving ahead with 1.3GW of storage projects in eastern Australia, albeit with a delayed timetable. Its standalone 240MW/480MWh Mornington Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), south of Melbourne, will follow the company’s cycle from solar to storage around 2021.
The Mornington project has received development and access approvals, and GMR Energy chief executive Morris Zhou says its partner, Victorian grid AusNet, has started work early and is acquiring long-term​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ To that end, Zhou noted that disruptions in the supply chain have led to a “significant bottleneck in the availability of transformers and other necessary materials.”
AusNet will build the transmission infrastructure required for the Mornington project, located adjacent to AusNet’s existing Tyabb substation. GMR Energy says it is also in “final negotiations” with a design, procurement and construction contractor to build the Mornington battery, although it is not clear which firm has won the contact.
The Mornington project relies on energy arbitrage and the provision of spectrum and network control services to generate income.
GMR Energy has five other projects in the pipeline, including 225 MW/450 MWh Gould Creek BESS in South Australia, which has also received development application approval. In addition to this, the company has lodged development applications for three battery projects in New South Wales, including a 150MW project in Armidale, a 200MW project in Tamworth and a 100MW project in Lismore – all with two hours of storage. duration.
All of these projects are missing their original completion dates, which the company had scheduled for either this year or last year. It’s worth noting that the company seemed quite ambitious in its original timelines, often predicting only a year between public announcements and completion.
In May 2022, the company publicly announced its largest venture to date, worth A$1.6 billion ($1.06 billion). Merriwa Energy Centerwhich includes a 550 MW solar farm and a 400 MW/1,600 MWh battery energy storage system in the Hunter region of New South Wales.
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