Lava Blue commissions Australia’s first grid-connected sodium-sulphur battery

Lava Blue has commissioned Australia’s first grid-connected sodium-sulphur (NaS) battery energy storage system at its Centre for Predictive Research into Specialty Materials (PRiSM) in southeast Queensland. The 250 kW / 1.45 MWh battery, manufactured by Japan’s NGK, is integrated with 200 kW of existing solar generation and connected to Energex’s local distribution grid, marking the first time this technology has been linked to the National Electricity Market (NEM).

The project was delivered through the Queensland University of Technology’s (QUT) QUEST Hub, a state government-funded initiative. The system is designed to provide long-duration energy storage, offering six or more hours of capacity, which can support up to 100% of the facility’s peak operating load. This capability is intended to assist in the energy-intensive process of refining critical minerals into high-purity materials for the semiconductor and battery supply chains.

Installed by Australian engineering firm Allset Energy, the project utilizes Queensland-made DC-DC converters. Researchers noted that the successful commissioning demonstrates the potential for NaS technology to support renewable energy firming, peak demand management, and overall grid reliability for industrial applications.