New South Wales OKs $638m energy storage project in Broken Hill

This will benefit 80,000 homes.

New South Wales gave its planning approval for Hydrostor’s 200 megawatt (MW) / 1,600 megawatt-hour (MWh) compressed air energy storage system at an old Broken Hill mine site.

In a statement, authorities said the Silver City Energy Storage Centre could power about 80,000 homes in peak demand and will maintain a reserve capacity of 250 MWh to provide back-up to Broken Hill during times of planned and unplanned outages.

The $638m project is a first in Australia and utilises technology that uses compressed air to store energy and generate electricity, without producing greenhouse gases.

During periods of low-energy demand, excess electricity is used to compress air and store it in large underground caverns or tanks. When demand is high, the compressed air is released, heated, and expanded through turbines to generate electricity.

The project will be supported by a 65-year government lease on a Crown land site near the Potosi mine at Broken Hill.

Work will start this year, with construction expected to take three to four years.