Two Victorian battery storage projects have reached new construction and commissioning milestones this week, both connecting to the National Electricity Market (NEM) in Australia.
Valent Energy has completed the final Hold Point at its Mornington battery energy storage system (BESS), reaching a nameplate capacity of 240MW and adding dispatchable capacity to the Victorian transmission network.
Separately, Akaysha Energy has delivered and installed the second high-voltage transformer at its 311MW Elaine BESS, with all Megapacks, step-up transformers, ring main units and control buildings now in place on the eastern side of the site.
Mornington BESS reaches nameplate capacity ahead of commercial operation
Valent Energy, a battery storage developer backed by Hong Kong-based investment firm Gaw Capital and battery storage platform BW ESS, said the completion of the final Hold Point adds dispatchable capacity to the Victorian transmission network.
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The 240MW/590MWh project entered AEMO’s Market Management System in March 2026, beginning testing and commissioning. The facility has now reached full nameplate output.
Mornington BESS is located approximately 55km south-southeast of Melbourne’s central business district, adjacent to AusNet Services’ Tyabb Terminal Station, to which the project connects.
The facility uses CATL battery technology paired with Power Electronics inverters, with ACLE Services acting as engineering, procurement and construction contractor, and has a ramp rate of 96MW per minute.
The project was a successful participant in the Australian government’s Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS) and forms part of Valent Energy’s broader Australian portfolio, which totals more than 1.6GW of battery storage projects.
Elaine BESS nears completion as second transformer arrives on site
Akaysha Energy, a battery storage developer backed by global investment firm BlackRock, said the delivery and installation of Elaine BESS’s second high-voltage transformer marks further progress at the project. Elaine BESS is Akaysha’s fifth project in Australia.
Akaysha secured AU$460 million (US$317 million) in non-recourse construction financing for the 311MW/1,244MWh project in November 2025, provided by a syndicate of eight domestic and international banks, including BNP Paribas, Commonwealth Bank of Australia and MUFG.
The financing is supported by a 15-year virtual tolling agreement with state-owned generator Snowy Hydro, covering 220MW of contracted capacity and representing Snowy Hydro’s first battery offtake agreement.
Tesla is supplying the battery technology, with Consolidated Power Projects acting as the engineering, procurement and construction contractor.
Located in southwest Victoria, the project will connect to the NEM through existing transmission infrastructure, helping manage transmission outage risk while supporting the integration of wind and solar generation.
Akaysha’s project pipeline includes the Waratah Super Battery in New South Wales, an 850MW/1,680MWh facility contracted to transmission operator Transgrid to provide System Integrity Protection Scheme services.
Earlier this month, Waratah briefly reached its full 850MW rated output on 7 September, the first time it had done so since a transformer failure constrained the facility’s output for most of the preceding year, before recording a 701MW discharge two days later, consistent with its full contracted SIPS obligation.
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