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Trina Solar Plans Australia's Largest Battery Project in Kemerton

Trina Solar unveils plans for a 660 MW, 2,640 MWh battery storage facility in Kemerton, Australia. The project aims to surpass existing storage capacities, enhancing grid stability and supporting the state's growing renewable energy demands.

September 19, 2024. By EI News Network

China based firm, Trina Solar has announced plans to build Australia’s largest battery storage facility in Kemerton, south of Perth. The proposed facility aims to offer up to 660 MW of capacity and 2,640 MWh of storage.

Once completed, this project would surpass current largest facilities, including Neoen’s 560 MW, 2,420 MWh Collie battery and Ark Energy’s planned 275 MW, 2,200 MWh Richmond Valley battery in New South Wales.

This ambitious proposal reflects the rapid expansion of battery storage projects, with the new facility projected to be about 20 times larger in storage capacity than the original Tesla big battery at Hornsdale, which started in 2017 as a 100 MW, 129 MWh project and was later upgraded.

Western Australia is experiencing significant growth in battery storage, with at least three projects exceeding 2,000 MWh. This includes Neoen’s Collie battery and a 500 MW, 2,000 MWh battery by state-owned Synergy, both under construction. The state’s isolated grid necessitates substantial internal resources to meet future energy demands and ensure system reliability.

Forecasts from the state government indicate a substantial increase in demand for renewable energy, driven by emerging green industries seeking low-cost, zero-emissions solutions. Western Australia might require up to 50 GW of new wind and solar capacity in the coming decades, all of which will need to be supported by significant storage infrastructure.

The proposed Kemerton facility will be situated on approximately 19 hectares of land in an industrial area previously used for sand mining, just 3 kilometers from the Kemerton terminal station. This site has seen several proposals over the years, including a 200 MWh project by Neoen in 2022 that was rejected and a 100 MW, 400 MWh proposal by Sunrise Energy earlier this year.

Trina Solar is also developing two other major battery storage projects in Australia viz. the 500 MW, 1,000 MWh Kiewa Valley BESS in Victoria and the 270 MW, 540 MWh Augusta BESS in Port Paterson, South Australia. The Kemerton facility will store excess solar energy generated from rooftop solar installations and large-scale solar farms during the day and provide electricity to the grid during evening peaks.

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Largest battery project in Australia

Richmond Valley battery