Australia's AGL breaks ground on 250-MW/250-MWh Torrens battery

Australian utility AGL Energy Ltd (ASX:AGL) today said it has launched site preparation activities for its 250 MW/250 MWh battery energy storage project in South Australia's Torrens Island.

The building works will get the site ready for the construction of the AUD-180-million (USD 128.5m/EUR 113.9m) grid-scale system.

The Torrens Island facility will be installed in the Adelaide metropolitan area, using technology by Finnish group Wartsila Corp (HEL:WRT1V), which will also act as the project’s engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor. While initially it will provide one hour of storage, AGL has plans to expand that duration to up to four hours, or 1,000 MWh.

The battery is due to become fully operational by early 2023. Up to 50 local jobs are expected to be created during its construction.

The Torrens Island battery would be the first of an 850-MW bundle of projects that AGL plans to roll out by the end of fiscal 2024. It will be the first step in transforming the Torrens Island gas-fired station into a low-carbon industrial energy hub.

“With South Australia generating more power from renewable sources than any other state, this battery will further reinforce a reliable energy supply for households and businesses,” said AGL’s chief operating officer Markus Brokhof.

(AUD 1.0 = USD 0.714/EUR 0.633)

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