Acen Australia has sold a 50MW/100MWh 2-hour duration hybrid solar PV and battery energy storage system (BESS) project in Victoria to developer Fotowatio Renewable Ventures (FRV) Australia.
Confirmed earlier this week (18 March), FRV Australia, which is a part of Jameel Energy and the Canadian infrastructure fund OMERS, will acquire the 190MW Axedale project, located 20km east of Bendigo, a former gold rush boom town to the north of state capital Melbourne.
The project features 140MWac of solar PV generation coupled with a 50MW/100MWh 2-hour duration battery energy storage system (BESS). Acen Australia secured a connection agreement with AusNet and AEMO in December last year.
Baker & McKenzie advised FRV on the acquisition, which was completed without external financing.
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Carlo Frigerio, CEO of FRV Australia, said the acquisition of the Axedale project underscores the company’s commitment to developing projects that incorporate energy storage in Australia.
The acquisition of Axedale underscores our commitment to developing innovative projects that blend renewable energy and storage, key elements for ensuring grid stability and advancing towards a cleaner, more efficient energy system,” Frigerio said.
Edify Energy submits 100MW solar-plus-storage site to Australia’s EPBC Act
In other news, Australian renewable energy developer Edify Energy has submitted plans for a 100MW solar-plus-storage project in New South Wales to the Australian government’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act.
The Burroway Solar Farm will have a generation capacity of 100MW and will feature a 100MW/400MWh 4-hour duration BESS. The project will be located 27km west of Dubbo within the Central West and Orana region, the location of one of the state’s five Renewable Energy Zones (REZ).
According to the application, the solar PV power plant will feature around 200,000 PV modules covering 391 hectares. It will generate up to 214MWh of green energy per annum and have an operational lifespan of 50 years.
Construction on the project is expected to take approximately 18 months and commence in the 2026/27 financial year. The peak construction period will be over six to nine months to allow for the gradual development and commissioning of the facility. Construction will be undertaken in four stages.
The EPBC Act, administrated by the Federal government, aims to protect nationally threatened species and ecological communities under the Act. This must be accepted before being granted permission to develop a project.
These articles first appeared in full on our sister site, PV Tech as the items ‘FRV Australia acquires 190MW hybrid solar PV and energy storage site in Victoria’ and ‘Edify Energy submits 100MW solar-plus-storage site to Australia’s EPBC Act’.
