Big Canberra Battery Project: Update

The ACT Government has announced procurement processes for elements of the Big Canberra Battery initiative will soon open to industry.

The Big Canberra Battery isn’t a single battery. It will be an ecosystem of energy storage systems of varying capacities; from small-scale and neighbourhood/community batteries through to large-scale storage.

“Once built, this ecosystem will be capable to power around one third of the ACT,” says the Territory’s Chief Minister, Andrew Barr.

What Mr. Barr probably should have also mentioned is such a scenario would be for short periods at times of high demand – how short isn’t clear. Still, it’s an ambitious project that will have a number of benefits including boosting energy security, supporting the installation of more rooftop solar in Canberra, creating jobs and providing revenue generation opportunities through the provision of grid services.

The project will be delivered in three streams:

• Stream 1: At least 250 MW of large-scale grid connected battery storage to support the ACT’s electricity network.
• Stream 2: Smaller-scale batteries (20kW – 1MW) at 14 government sites¹ (initially) to reduce mains grid consumption of these sites and strain on local distribution networks.
• Stream 3: Neighbourhood/community batteries (1 MW to 10 MW), providing “opportunities for local communities to participate in the energy revolution”.

Expressions of interest for the large-scale stream (Stream 1) were called late last year and closed in February 2022. Proposals from companies for the small-scale batteries (Stream 2) will kick off next month, and Stream 1 procurement will also be further progressed in August. Information regarding planning for neighbourhood-scale batteries will be provided later this year.

“The Big Canberra Battery will help future proof the Territory’s energy supply by reducing the load on our electricity network, supporting more families to switch to reliable renewable energy sources to power their homes,” said Chief Minister Barr.

You can learn more about the Big Canberra Battery project here.

Electricity Emissions Addressed, Transport Next

The ACT is already powered by 100% renewable electricity from sources both inside and outside the Territory’s borders. The Territory has set a target of achieving net zero emissions by 2045 – and while the Big Canberra Battery will support more locally-installed renewables, it will also help towards this goal in other ways.

Canberra may have its electricity-related emissions sorted, but transport is another matter. Transport now accounts for more than 64% of emissions in the Territory, and 70% of those emissions are from private vehicle use. To address transport emissions, the ACT Government released its Zero Emissions Vehicles Strategy last week.

This is where energy storage projects such as the Big Canberra Battery will also play an important role in the years ahead. Battery storage will help alleviate pressure on the grid when what will be Canberra’s many electric car owners plug their vehicles in for charging of an evening – or at any time of the day for that matter given how many EVs there will be in the ACT in the not-too-distant future.