Powin and BlackRock have started working on what they describe as the world’s most powerful battery. BlackRock-owned Akaysha Energy is now developing the 1.9 GWh Waratah Super Battery Project north of Sydney.
The company was contracted to deliver a battery with a guaranteed continuous power capacity of at least 700 MW and a guaranteed useable energy storage capacity of at least 1,400 MWh. Powin has now announced that it will supply 909 MW of power equipment and 1,915 MWh of annual storage capacity.
Powin will provide 2,592 units of its modular Centipede BESS platform. Its EKS Energy subsidiary will deliver 288 power conversion systems. Construction is expected to start in 2023, with a targeted completion date in the middle of 2025. The BESS is expected to act as a “shock absorber” for Australia’s electricity grid, as part of a system integrity protection scheme (SIPS).
“This flagship SIPS project will unlock latent transfer capacity in the existing transmission system, help integrate renewable energy, and maintain grid reliability by acting as a ‘shock absorber’ if disruptions such as lightning strikes or bushfires interrupt the flow of electricity,” Powin said in a statement. “The proposed WSB Project will ensure Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong have access to more energy from existing generators while reducing the risk of power disruptions.”
Akaysha Energy won a bid to deliver the energy storage project in October. It will be built on the former grounds of the 1,400 MW Munmorah coal-fired power station.
