Australian energy major AGL Energy and Neoen have signed a 10-year “virtual battery” contract to build a second 270MW/540MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) at the Western Downs Battery project in Queensland, Australia.

Australian electricity retailer AGL Energy confirmed yesterday (14 August) it has entered into a binding agreement to acquire battery energy storage system (BESS) developer Firm Power along with solar PV developer Terrain Solar.

Construction has begun on battery storage project to demonstrate advanced inverter technology, in historic mining region of Broken Hill, New South Wales.

Neoen has been contracted by AGL to provide a “virtual” charge or discharge of a battery system in Australia. 

Major Australian energy retailer AGL has contracted Finnish technology company Wärtsilä to supply a battery energy storage system (BESS) for a 250MW / 250MWh project at Torrens Island, South Australia.

Construction is set to begin in Australia on a grid-scale power generation and long-duration energy storage project combining solar power and thermal energy storage, after the company behind the project said this morning that funding has been secured.

Large-scale solar farm developer Maoneng Energy said it is expanding its battery energy storage portfolio in Australia, after signing a deal for 400MWh of projects with major utility company AGL.

Australia’s biggest utility AGL, which has committed to phasing out coal by 2050, has said it is likely to replace the capacity provided by one ageing power station with batteries, peaking plants, demand response and pumped hydro.

AGL has commissioned the first phase of what it claims is the world’s largest virtual power plant (VPP).

Behind-the-meter storage is forecast to become a larger segment than grid-scale storage by 2021, and could pose a potential threat to utilities, according to Bloomberg Energy Finance (BNEF) senior analyst Logan Goldie-Scot.