| Victoria adds new big battery with Rangebank switched on
One of the biggest battery energy storage systems built in Victoria has been officially switched on, providing essential system services for the electricity grid and helping to increase the state’s renewable energy hosting capacity.
December 3, 2024 David Carroll
Image: Eku Energy
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Less than 18 months after the start of construction, the 200 MW / 400 MWh Rangebank battery energy storage system (BESS), which was first energised in August, has officially commenced full operations, now helping to stabilise Victoria’s electricity supply by providing additional storage capacity that can be discharged at times of peak demand.
Jointly developed by Macquarie Group’s battery platform Eku Energy and oil major Shell, the battery is located in the Rangebank Business Park at Cranbourne on Melbourne’s southeast. Victorian real estate company Perfection Private, which developed the industrial estate, is a minority shareholder in the project.
Shell holds the rights to charge and dispatch 100% of the battery’s capacity through a 20-year tolling agreement.
Shell Energy Australia Chief Executive Officer Tony Keeling said the agreement strengthens the company’s growing battery portfolio with the 200 MW Rangebank system capable of powering 80,000 homes for an hour during peak periods.
“Rangebank BESS is an important addition to Shell Energy’s battery portfolio being our first grid-scale battery investment in Victoria and Shell’s first direct equity investment in a utility-scale BESS globally,” he said, adding that it will help deliver a more reliable energy supply for customers as the energy market continues to evolve.
“This project demonstrates how dispatchable power like battery storage complements renewables, in this case being located in one of Victoria’s fasting growing population corridors,” Keeling said.
The Rangebank battery is part of a growing portfolio for Eku which was established in late 2022 and now has three operational assets and more than 50 projects in the development pipeline across Australia, the United Kingdom, Japan and Italy.
“Rangebank BESS represents a significant achievement for Eku Energy and further demonstrates our commitment to advancing battery storage solutions worldwide,” Eku Chief Operating Officer Tom Best said.
Eku’s Australian projects include the 150 MW/150 MWh Hazelwood and 300 MW / 1,200 MWh Tramway Road batteries in Victoria, and the 250 MW / 500 MWh Williamsdale battery being developed in the Australian Capital Territory.
The Rangebank BESS features Fluence’s latest Gridstack energy storage technology. Image: Eku Energy
The Rangebank battery was built and will be serviced and maintained by United States-based storage technology company Fluence, which supplied 640 of its Gridstack cubes for the project.
Eku said the Rangebank battery is the second largest in Victoria – a behind Neoen’s 300 MW / 450 MWh Victoria Big Battery – but it is sure to be soon overtaken.
Among the projects in the pipeline are an approved 350 MW / 700 MWh project being developed in western Victoria by Melbourne-headquartered ACEnergy while Chinese solar giant Trina Solar has announced plans to build a 500 MW / 1 GWh battery in the state’s northeast. Also on the drawing board is a 1 GW / 2.5 GWh battery being developed by British-owned energy company Pacific Green in Victoria’s southwest.
Victoria is targeting 2.6 GW of renewable energy storage capacity by 2030, and 6.3 GW by 2035.
The Rangebank battery is one of a further 12 utility scale battery projects under construction or in commissioning in Victoria. The state government said these will add another 1.4 GW of additional output capacity and 3.2 GWH of storage.
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