Atmos Renewables has awarded construction company GenusPlus Group an AU$65 million (US$42 million) contract to build the 400MWh Merredin battery energy storage system (BESS) in Western Australia.
Under the terms of the contract, GenusPlus will lead the design, procurement, installation, and associated civil works for the Merredin BESS and substation, which is expected to take around 18 months to fully complete.
The project is expected to be completed by early 2027 and will operate in the Wholesale Electricity Market (WEM), the primary market for generators and retailers in the state, and connect to the South West Interconnected System (SWIS).
The 4-hour-duration Merredin BESS is being built approximately 7.5km southwest of the town of Merredin. It will be located within the Western Australia Wheatbelt, a region named for its role in producing wheat in Australia’s early colonisation period.
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The BESS is being pursued via a partnership between Atmos Renewables and Nomad Energy. It is set to be built adjacent to the 132MW Merredin solar PV power plant being developed by Risen Energy.
As reported by Energy-Storage.news earlier this year, the Merredin BESS was one of the projects successful in Western Australia’s first Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS) tender, which was announced in March.
In total, 654MW/2,595MWh of BESS was successful, with this spread across Merredin, the Boddington Giga Battery, Muchea Battery and the Waroona Renewable Energy Project. All of these are 4-hour in duration and are anticipated to be operational by October 2027.
David Riches, managing director of Genus, expressed that the company is pleased to enhance its presence in the BESS market by participating in this significant project and strengthening its relationship with Atmos Renewables.
“Genus is pleased to be increasing its presence in the renewable energy market through its involvement in this flagship project, which is aimed at providing significant benefits to Western Australians,” Riches said.
“The award of this contract highlights the strength of our customer relationships and our reputation for reliable delivery, and the company looks forward to building on its relationship with Atmos Renewables.”
