Waratah Super Battery supercharges energy transition in NSW, Australia

Australia is not just a country; it’s a continent. The remoteness of the “Land Down Under” makes it unique as home to hundreds of animal and plant species found nowhere else on Earth. But when it comes to delivering reliable power, this isolation also presents a challenge, as the country is not able to connect to another electrical grid for backup power. As Australia brings more solar and wind energy onto the grid, ensuring reliability is priority number one. A new Super Battery now under construction — one of the largest in the southern hemisphere, supported by cutting-edge converter technology from Hitachi Energy subsidiary eks Energy — will enable Sydney, the nation’s largest city, to keep the lights on while helping Australia meet its renewable energy target of adding 33,000 gigawatt-hours (GWh) each year through 2030. 

The ambitious project, led by Australia’s Akaysha Energy, features an 850-megawatt/1,680-megawatt-hour battery energy storage system (BESS) that will act as a giant shock absorber, cushioning the electrical grid against instability. The battery’s large size ensures reliable power delivery even in the event of a major transmission outage of one of the lines feeding Sydney and surrounds. 

A super-sized solution

The Waratah Super Battery project is more than just a battery.   

The BESS itself is located about 100 kilometers north of Sydney in the Central Coast Region, but the overall project also includes arrangements for paired generation services with wind and solar generators, upgrades to the State’s existing transmission network, and an overarching control system. 

It will function as a network standby battery and ‘shock absorber’ for the NSW energy system in the event of power surges from events like lightning strikes.  

eks Energy’s advanced power converter system is crucial to the battery’s performance as a grid stabilizer. The Seville, Spain-based company, which Hitachi acquired a controlling interest in last year, has made its name by taking on hard-to-solve grid integration problems. Its work with utilities integrating renewables in Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Baja California — all remote locations with weak grids — prepared it well for helping to solve Sydney’s challenges, says eks Energy Chief Strategist, Javier Landero.

To receive approval to work on an integration project in Australia, “you have to demonstrate to the regulator in Australia that you will support the grid,” he says. “It’s probably the hardest process in the world right now. They want to avoid any technical issues in their grid when they are using renewables because they are an island, and the grid is weak. They don’t have any interconnection with other countries, so they must ensure stability with their own resources.”

Being part of Hitachi Energy allows eks Energy to bring its crucial technology to more markets around the world, Landero adds. “You have to take a global perspective,  because the energy problem is a global problem.” Having the resources of Hitachi Energy close at hand also allows eks Energy to take on more complex projects, he adds.

A strong partnership

Akaysha Energy was appointed by the New South Wales infrastructure planner, EnergyCo, to develop the project and broke ground at the site of the decommissioned Munmorah Power Station in late May 2023. When the BESS is complete, there will be 288 Power Conversion Systems (PCS) which will stretch across the 137,000 square meter site, bigger than 8 Australian Football League fields.

eks Energy’s technology and experience solving tough integration problems made it an ideal partner for the Waratah project. 

With demand for battery energy storage systems surging, the timing of the acquisition could not be better, adds Massimo Danieli, Managing Director of Grid Automation for Hitachi Energy. “We were lucky to have joined forces with eks Energy. Energy storage and power electronics play a very important role for customers in the energy transformation,” he says. “They provide the flexibility our customers need.” 

The battery of the future

The Waratah Super Battery is a key part of New South Wales’ effort to ensure the reliability and resilience of the electricity supply as the State’s coal plants retire, and as it moves to cut emissions 70 percent by 2035 and reach net zero by 2050.

The Super Battery will be powered by 2592 of Powin's LFP utility-grade batteries, meticulously designed to integrate seamlessly with the eks Energy inverters and power plant controller. Powin’s fully integrated solution, which includes an in-house Energy Management System (EMS), Battery Management System (BMS), and thermal management system, is engineered for instant control of the batteries, ensuring optimal performance. This comprehensive integration not only enhances the efficiency and reliability of the energy storage solution but also bolsters the stability and resilience of Australia’s electrical grid.

“We are immensely proud to be selected by Akaysha to deliver one of the largest batteries in the world, a milestone achievement in enhancing the reliability and resilience of Australia’s electrical grid. This accomplishment wouldn't be possible without our extraordinary partnership with eks Energy and Akaysha. It’s taking a coordinated effort to deliver thousands of batteries and ensure they perform optimally to meet the stringent grid codes. Our collaboration is crucial for the success of this project and for supporting Australia’s transition to a more sustainable and stable energy future,” said Brian Kane, Powin’s Chief Project Success Officer. 

As Australia revs up its shift away from coal, Super Batteries like the Waratah BESS are becoming increasingly attractive as a way to provide foolproof stability for decades to come.