Eku Energy has signed community benefit agreements (CBAs) with Gladstone Regional Council and Western Downs Regional Council for two battery energy storage system (BESS) projects in Queensland, totalling 700MW/2,760MWh.
Separately, in other large-scale BESS news from Queensland, Valo, the newly launched joint venture replacing Wärtsilä’s energy storage arm in the market, has been selected to deliver Atmos Renewables’ 400MW/1,600MWh Teebar BESS.
Atmos Renewables reached financial close on Teebar BESS on 2 October. The project is backed by the federal Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS), which underwrites long-term revenue for generation and storage projects chosen through competitive tender.
Atmos Renewables is an Australian renewable energy developer and owner-operator backed by infrastructure investor Igneo Infrastructure Partners. It holds interests in more than 1.8GW of wind, solar and storage assets in the National Electricity Market (NEM).
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Teebar BESS is beside Powerlink’s Teebar Creek substation in Queensland’s Fraser Coast region. The system will provide 4-hours of storage duration.
Atmos Renewables also completed a green loan portfolio refinancing in December 2025, backed by a syndicate of sixteen domestic and international banks. Part of the proceeds was earmarked for projects then targeting financial close, including Teebar.
Valo is the new energy storage business of Finnish engine and marine power company Wärtsilä. It launched under the new name on 1 October as a 50:50 joint venture with German solar PV manufacturer RCT Solutions. Valo describes itself as a battery energy storage integrator, with more than 130 utility-scale energy storage projects worldwide.
For Teebar, Valo will supply its GridSolve Quantum2 energy storage system and GEMS software. A long-term service agreement will cover performance and availability guarantees, maintenance and remote operational support, with commercial operation expected in late 2028.
Valo will also support Atmos Renewables in meeting the performance, reliability and social licence requirements of the CIS. Teebar BESS has Generator Performance Standards approval for grid-forming operation in the NEM, with Valo stating that the project takes its Australian energy storage portfolio past 7.6GWh.
Byellee and Belah head towards state planning applications
The 300MW/1,160MWh Byellee BESS is located near Gladstone in Central Queensland. It connects to the Calliope River substation and was previously known as Calliope BESS.
Eku Energy referred the project under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act in October 2025, when it was listed at 1,200MWh.
The 400MW/1,600MWh Belah BESS is situated approximately 19km south of Chinchilla in the Western Downs region and will connect to the existing Orana substation through a new underground high-voltage cable. The 4-hour system has a proposed operational life of more than 20 years.
Eku Energy said the agreements were shaped through collaboration with the councils and reflect each region’s priorities. Funding amounts and duration were not disclosed.
The agreements complement Eku Energy’s “Powering Big Dreams” programme, which invests in community organisations and projects near its sites.
Both projects can now move to the next stage of development, including lodging development applications with the State Assessment and Referral Agency.
Energy-Storage.news reported in March that a submission for Belah had gone to the agency, with a community benefit agreement still to be developed with Western Downs Regional Council.
Both projects are planned to enter operation in 2029. Eku Energy credited its development partners, ATRIA Energy and LP Renewable Projects (LPRP), for their work on the projects.
Eku Energy is an energy storage developer jointly owned by asset managers Macquarie Asset Management and British Columbia Investment Management Corporation. Its operating Australian projects include the 150MW/150MWh Hazelwood and 200MW/400MWh Rangebank BESS in Victoria.
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