NSW will back the development of a giant battery to ease pressure once the Liddell coal plants closes in the 2022-23 summer as part of a $3.2 billion, decade-long electricity supply deal with Shell and Edify Energy to supply the state’s power needs.
The companies will build a 100 megawatt, 200 megawatt hour battery alongside the Darlington Point solar farm near Griffith in western NSW, as part of a broader 10-year power contract to power schools, hospitals and government buildings. The battery is due to start in early 2023, easing grid pressures once Liddell exits.
Shell’s ERM Power, acquired by the energy giant in 2019, already held the NSW government electricity contract, with Shell signing a long-term services agreement to access operational rights to a 60MW, 120MWh portion of the battery.
The move underlines the state’s push to renewables and storage solutions such as batteries ahead of the closure of Liddell and a broader shift away from coal-fired power as more of the ageing plants start to close in the next decade.
Read the full article, written by Perry Williams, in The Australian
