A roundup of energy storage news from Europe and South Africa, with Neoen, RWE and Bushveld / CellCube announcing major projects.

Neoen has proposed building a gigawatt-scale BESS in a region of Australia with close and continuing ties to the coal industry.

Neoen saw its energy storage revenues triple in the first half of this year, driven by its Victorian Big Battery in Australia.

Hornsdale Power Reserve battery storage system in South Australia now has upgraded capabilities, enabling it to provide inertia to the grid.

Hornsdale Power Reserve in South Australia has been fined for breaching National Electricity Rules over a three month period in 2019.  

A liquid coolant leak caused thermal runaway in battery cells which started a fire at the 300MW/450MWh Victorian Big Battery in Australia.

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

The safety regulator for Victoria, Australia, has no objections to commissioning of the Victorian Big Battery 300MW / 450MWh project resuming, after investigating a fire at the site and agreeing with steps taken to prevent it happening again. 

An accusation has been made that Hornsdale Power Reserve, the landmark large-scale battery energy storage system (BESS) in South Australia, did not deliver ancillary services as offered over a four-month period in 2019.

Australia’s Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) has invested AU$160 million (US$127.6 million) in a 300MW battery storage project near Geelong, Victoria.