RWE has announced its decision to invest in building Australia’s first eight-hour Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) near Balranald, New South Wales.
The Limondale BESS project, with a capacity exceeding 50 megawatts (MW) and 400 megawatt hours (MWh), will be located next to RWE’s 249 MWac Limondale Solar Farm. This initiative aims to store excess renewable energy and feed it into the NSW grid as needed.
Tesla has been chosen to supply its Megapack batteries for the project, with commissioning planned for late 2025. Beon Energy Solutions will serve as the delivery partner, handling the necessary civil, structural, electrical, and control works to connect the Megapack to the existing 33kV substation. Construction is set to begin in the second half of this year.
“RWE’s investment decision and signing of supplier contracts for the Limondale BESS project is an exciting step forward in our commitment to the Australian renewables sector and support of New South Wales’ renewable energy ambitions,” said Katja Wünschel, CEO of RWE Renewables Europe & Australia.
RWE has been active in Australia since 2013 and began construction of the Limondale solar farm in 2018. The solar farm, operational since 2021, generates enough electricity to power approximately 105,000 homes annually. The company plans to develop up to 3 gigawatts of renewable energy projects in Australia by 2030.
Globally, RWE operates battery storage systems with a total capacity of more than 700 MW and has 1.2 gigawatts of battery storage projects under construction. As part of its Growing Green strategy, RWE aims to expand its battery storage capacity to 6 gigawatts worldwide by 2030.