Today (29 August), the Victoria government announced it has streamlined the planning process to deliver the state’s “largest” battery energy storage system (BESS), ACEnergy’s 350MW/700MWh Joel Joel project.

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 utility Origin Energy has started constructing its 300MW/650MW Mortlake battery energy storage system (BESS) in Victoria, Australia.

French independent power producer Neoen has achieved a key milestone in the development of its 200MW/400MWh Blyth grid-forming battery energy storage system (BESS) in South Australia.

US firm Natron Energy has announced plans for a sodium-ion gigafactory in North Carolina, while two Chinese firms have firmed up their projects, all-in-all totalling over 30GWh of annual sodium-ion production capacity.

State-owned energy company Stanwell has today (13 August) announced it has started construction on its 300MW/1,200MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) at the coal-fired Stanwell Power Station in Queensland, Australia.

Acen Australia has submitted assessment documents for its 600MW Birriwa solar-plus-storage in New South Wales (NSW), Australia.

Akaysha Energy has started constructing its 205MW/410MWh Brendale BESS in Queensland, Australia.

LG Energy Solution saw its revenues fall 30% in the second quarter of the year amidst a global EV market slowdown, and the company says its ESS segment could help offset this.

Leeton Shire Council, in NSW, Australia, has rejected a voluntary planning agreement offer submitted by ACEnergy, for a 250MW/1,100MWh BESS.