Origin expands 460-MW Eraring battery in Australia

It has committed a $450m investment.

Origin Energy has approved the second stage development for the Eraring battery, adding a 240 megawatt (MW) / 1030 megawatt-hours (MWh) four-hour duration grid-forming battery to the 460 MW / 1073 MWh two-hour duration first stage battery development currently under construction and will come online at the end of 2025.

“The combined energy storage of the stage one and stage two batteries will be over 2 GWh [gigawatt-hours], enabling Origin to help keep the grid stable and support more variable renewable energy coming into the system,” the company said in a statement.

The expansion will need an investment of $450m. Works on the second stage are expected to begin early 2025, with expected operation in the first quarter of 2027.

Battery equipment for the stage two will be supplied by Finnish technology group Wärtsilä, with design and construction services to be provided by Enerven Energy Infrastructure (Enerven).

Eraring Power Station is Australia’s largest coal-fired power station that supplies up to a quarter of electricity supply in New South Wales. It is scheduled to close in August 2027 to ensure a continued supply of energy whilst the transition to renewable sources is underway.

Origin has now committed to more than 1.5 GW of large-scale batteries across its three owned projects at Eraring and Mortlake, along with tolling agreements for the offtake of the Supernode battery stage 1 and 2.