Construction of the biggest battery in the southern hemisphere is set to begin in NSW.

The state government on Thursday gave the planning green light to the 850 megawatt Waratah Super Battery, which will act as a ‘shock absorber’ to keep the grid reliable during events like bushfires and outages.

The battery will provide a $30 million System Integrity Protection Scheme capable of providing a continuous power capacity of at least 700 megawatts, and a 1,400 MWh energy storage capacity.

The government says the project is a virtual transmission solution that will allow consumers in Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong to access more energy from existing generators.

The battery, to be constructed by Akaysha Energy in partnership with network operator Transgrid, will be built on the Munmorah power station north of Newcastle.

It’s scheduled to be completed in 2025 ahead of the closure of the Eraring coal-fired power station.

Critical infrastructure

Joining energy minister Matt Kean at the Munmorah site to announce final approval for the project, Transgrid Executive General Manager of Network Marie Jordan said the battery was a critical piece of infrastructure.

“Transgrid is on track to ensure the super battery, SIPS control and network upgrades are completed by mid-2025 in advance of Eraring’s earliest closure date,” she said.

Planning minister Anthony Roberts said the battery would be an important addition to the state’s energy mix.

“The Waratah Super Battery is well-suited for the State’s energy security needs because it is fast to roll out, has a relatively small footprint, repurposes land and connection infrastructure previously used for a coal-fired power station and will be able to respond almost instantly to disruptions in the energy system,” he said.

The WSB is the first priority transmission infrastructure project to be delivered under the Electricity Infrastructure Investment Act.

The Australian Energy Market Operator identified the Waratah Super Battery as a key project to strengthen reliability forecasts in its update to the 2022 Electricity Statement of Opportunities report  released this week.

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