Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) is starting construction of its first large-scale battery energy storage site in Australia, the 240MW / 960MWh Summerfield project.
It comes after a financial investment decision was taken in September 2024.
Summerfield is located in the state of South Australia in an area near existing transmission infrastructure.
CIP says the four-hour BESS will play an important role in addressing South Australia’s rapidly growing need for energy storage capacity, enabling the decarbonisation of the power grid while maintaining reliability.
Summerfield has entered into a 10-year offtake agreement with Origin Energy, an Australian electricity generator and retailer.
The battery site will support the South Australian government’s target of 100% net renewable energy by 2027, shifting excess wind and solar energy generated during the day to supply renewable power during peak demand periods.
Partner and head of CIP Australia Jørn Hammer said: “We are pleased to start construction on CIP’s first large-scale energy storage project in Australia, which will be one of the largest in South Australia.
“CIP has a strong track record of developing, owning and operating renewable projects globally, and CIP is delighted to bring this expertise to Australia.”
Partner and head of Asia-Pacific at CIP Thomas Wibe Poulsen added that it was an “important milestone” for Summerfield.
Summerfield is part of CIP’s CI V flagship fund, which has a target fund size of €12bn and invests in a range of renewable technologies from wind and solar PV to energy storage across Europe, North America and Asia Pacific.