Australia's ACT plans 250-MW renewables, storage auction

The Australian Capital Territory will hold a new auction for up to 250 MW renewables generation capacity plus some battery storage, as part of a plan to ensure the Aussie territory maintains 100% renewables power supply into the coming decade.

“In the ACT we’re committed to climate change action, and we’re planning ahead to ensure we only use renewable electricity", said Shane Rattenbury, Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability announcing the auction on Thursday.

The proposed reverse auction will seek to contract up to 250 MW of new renewable energy generation capacity that needs to be delivered with 20 MW/40 MWh of energy storage ahead of an expected increase in the region’s electricity consumption.

The battery storage component, which could provide power to 25,000 typical homes for a two-hour period, will help manage voltage and frequency fluctuations and prevent blackouts during peak demand periods while removing the need to upgrade the existing network infrastructure, the Minister explained.

The ACT has already passed legislation that guarantees the territory will be 100% renewable and its focus now is to transition to electric vehicles and decarbonise buildings.

“In days to come, I look forward to announcing the next major phase of climate action in the ACT. The Strategy will outline how we move to renewable energy solutions and what will drive the decarbonisation of the region up to 2025 and beyond,” Rattenbury concluded the announcement.

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