Neoen’s 219MW Collie Battery Stage 1 in Western Australia started operating ahead of schedule, less than 18 months after the start of construction at the site.
219MW/877MWh battery storage facility (pictured) is located near the town of Collie, on the country of the Wilman people of the Bibbulmun nation, in the south-west region of Western Australia (WA) and is the largest battery in the state to date.
It is the first Neoen asset to connect into South-West Interconnected System (SWIS) and, in collaboration with Tesla, UGL and network service provider Western Power, it was delivered ahead of schedule, said the developer.
On 1 October, Collie Battery Stage 1 began delivering its 197MW/four-hour grid capacity service to the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO).
The contract, called ‘Non-Co-optimised Essential System Services’ (NCESS) runs for a period of two years.
The battery provides 197MW of storage capacity for four hours, charging during the day and then discharging across the evening peak.
This service is designed to address the risks AEMO identified relating to the phased retirement of WA government owned coal-fired power plants and increasingly high penetration of rooftop solar in Western Australia.
The battery is Neoen’s first major project in WA and its first four-hour long duration battery globally.
The 341MW/1363MWh Collie Battery Stage 2, which is currently under construction, was awarded a similar 300MW/four-hour NCESS contract by AEMO in April 2024.
Altogether, the site (560MW/2240MWh) will have the ability to charge and discharge 20% of average demand in the SWIS.
Neoen Australia’s chief executive Jean-Christophe Cheylus said: “We are extremely proud to have delivered the largest battery in Western Australia in record time.
“I would like to thank everyone who has worked tirelessly to make this happen: Western Power, Tesla and UGL as well as AEMO and the Western Australian government.
“We are delighted to be contributing a storage project of this scale and duration.
“With over 2GW of projects in our pipeline in WA, we are committed to continuing to play our part in the State’s energy transition.”
Western Australia’s Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Action Reece Whitby added: “The WA Government is clear that our State’s energy future will be powered by a mix of rooftop solar, onshore wind, and large-scale battery storage, backed by gas.
“This battery will support household investment in rooftop solar by soaking up excess energy produced during the day and making it available in the evening when it’s most needed.
“It is the exact sort of development that the Cook Government is supporting, as we get on with the job of retiring state-owned coal-fired power by 2030, embracing WA’s clean energy future, and ensuring Collie continues to be at the heart of our State’s south-west energy supply.”
Western Power’s chief executive Sam Barbaro said: “The Western Power network is playing a key role in enabling industry and the community to reach their decarbonisation goals and expediting the transition to a sustainable energy system.
“The Collie Battery Stage 1 project is a terrific example of this, involving excellent collaboration and innovation between Western Power and Neoen, resulting in an outstanding outcome for the community and the WA energy market.
“Connecting energy solutions that support the harnessing of the abundance of renewable energy resources WA has to offer is critical to unlocking a cleaner energy future.”
Neoen chairman and chief executive Xavier Barbaro added: “I would like to congratulate the Neoen team on this great achievement: the delivery of Collie Battery Stage 1, ahead of schedule, is a major step for Neoen, demonstrating the speed with which we can develop and deploy solutions into new regions.
“We are proud to be shaping the grid of the future, for the benefit of industry and consumers across Australia and around the globe.”