Iberdrola Australia has officially opened its 65MW/130MWh Smithfield battery energy storage system (BESS) in western Sydney, New South Wales, ahead of schedule.
The Australian arm of Spain-based utility and independent power producer (IPP) Iberdrola confirmed that the 2-hour duration BESS has been completed, following commissioning that began in August last year.
The Smithfield BESS is located in the Smithfield suburb, approximately 30km west of Sydney’s central business district. It will be co-located with the existing operational 123MW Smithfield Open Cycle Gas Turbine Gas Peaker plant, which Iberdrola Australia also owns.
The Smithfield BESS project includes battery and inverter units, medium voltage transformers, the replacement of a 33kV electrical switchboard, an upgrade to the SCADA control board, and improvements to the existing 33kV powerline connection with Endeavour Energy infrastructure.
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Iberdrola also confirmed that the Smithfield BESS was approved as a State Significant Development (SSD) by the New South Wales Department of Planning and Environment.
SSDS are often defined as large-scale developments that exceed specific thresholds in terms of size or capital investment value or are located in environmentally sensitive areas.
These projects undergo a comprehensive assessment process managed by state-level planning departments rather than local councils. This process involves environmental impact statements, public exhibitions, and agency consultations.
Victoria-headquartered ACLE Services was selected by Iberdrola to deliver the balance-of-plant (BoP) installation contract and manage construction.
This caps off a strong start to the year for Iberdrola, which has also received a Long-Term Energy Service Agreement (LTESA) for its 100MW/1,080MWh Kingswood BESS from ASL in New South Wales.
The project was one of six that had been awarded LTESAs in the latest long-duration energy storage (LDES) tender round, which saw 1.17GW/11.98GWh awarded in total.
The Energy Storage Summit Australia 2026 will be returning to Sydney on 18-19 March. It features keynote speeches and panel discussions on topics such as the Capacity Investment Scheme, long-duration energy storage, and BESS revenue streams. ESN Premium subscribers receive an exclusive discount on ticket prices.
To secure your tickets and learn more about the event, please visit the official website.
