Waratah Super Battery Completes First Full Discharge, Remains Australia's Most Powerful
The Waratah Super Bowl, Australia's most powerful battery energy storage system (BESS), has reached a significant milestone. On Friday, October 10, at 08:30, it achieved its first full discharge to the National Electricity Market (NEM). Despite its capacity to be overtaken by Neoen Australia's Collie BESS in terms of capacity, the Waratah Super Bowl remains the most powerful due to its power output.
The Waratah Super Bowl, sized at 850MW/1,680MWh, is now the largest operational BESS in Australia, surpassing the Victorian Big Bowl and the Western Downs BESS in Queensland. This is the first full discharge since it was initially energised at 350MW/700MWh in August. The project, designed to optimise transmission lines supplying electricity to New South Wales, acts as a 'giant shock-absorber' for the grid, providing stability and integrity by managing fluctuations in supply and demand.
Akaysha Energy, now owned by BlackRock, won the contract to deliver Waratah in 2022. They appointed Powin Energy as the BESS provider, but Powin recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy due to struggles competing with Chinese OEMs' integrated BESS offerings. Despite this, Nick Carter, CEO of Akaysha Energy, has stated that the Waratah Super Bowl is the world's most powerful battery storage system in terms of power output.
The Waratah Super Bowl's first full discharge marks a significant step forward for Australia's energy infrastructure. Despite potential competition from other BESS projects, its power output secures its status as the most powerful battery storage site. As the largest operational BESS in Australia, it plays a crucial role in maintaining the stability and integrity of New South Wales' power system.
