Australia expands energy storage with new battery deployments

Australia is seeing significant advancements in grid-scale energy storage through new battery deployments. In Brisbane, the country’s first grid-connected sodium-sulfur battery has begun operations. Installed at Lava Blue’s Center for Predictive Research into Specialty Materials (PRiSM), the system can deliver 250 kilowatts of power and store 1.45 megawatt-hours of energy. This project, part of the Queensland University of Technology’s QUEST Hub, aims to transition emerging energy technologies from research to commercial use while supporting local mineral processing.

Simultaneously, several large-scale battery projects have reached operational status in New South Wales. These include the Liddell Battery, described as one of Australia’s largest grid-scale batteries, and the 415MW/1,660MWh Orana BESS developed by Akaysha Energy. Additionally, Iberdrola Australia has commissioned the 65MW/130MWh Smithfield BESS, and Enel X has deployed three virtual power plants providing 95MW of flexible demand capacity. These developments are part of broader efforts to support the transition to renewable energy and enhance grid stability.