Australia’s Lumea eyes privately funded 300-MW battery

Australia’s Lumea aims to deliver the country’s first grid-scale battery fully funded by the private sector -- a 300-MW system in the Deer Park energy hub in Victoria.

The commercial arm of TransGrid, the operator of the transmission network in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), said today it is launching a selective expression of interest (EOI) process for the development of the battery. It is engaging with energy sector organisations and renewable energy generators for participation in the project through a tender process to finalise choice of market participants, reads the announcement.

“Lumea is looking to demonstrate that batteries can be fully funded through the market,” said its head of infrastructure Nigel Buchanan.

The battery will operate in the National Electricity Market. Set to be located in the Deer Park energy hub, which is a major source of electricity for metropolitan Melbourne, the system is intended to help optimise the use of renewables in Victoria and across the National Energy Market.

The EoI will seek to confirm market interest and establish the optimal size and duration of the battery.

Buchanan said that batteries are an important solution to the issues arising from the growing role of renewables. “The Deer Park Battery will prove that grid scale battery energy storage systems are a good long-term investment to maintain reliability and security of the system, ultimately bringing lower energy costs to customers,” he added.

Lumea is also scheduled to compete in October the 50-MW/75-MWh Wallgrove grid-scale battery in New South Wales that will trial the use of synthetic inertia as a network service.

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