Infigen Energy has been advised by Herbert Smith Freehills on contracting for the construction and installation of the new 25MW / 52MWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), as well as funding agreements with the SA Government and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) to co-fund the $38 million development.
The new 25MW / 52MWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), which will be located next to the existing Lake Bonney Wind Farm in South Australia, has already been committed $5 million in grant funding from both the SA Government and ARENA, equalling a total of $10 million.
Once completed, the BESS, which is to begin construction in September, is expected to allow Infigen to firm at least an additional 18MW from the existing Lake Bonney Wind Farm for commercial and industrial customers.
The BESS will be built using Tesla Powerpack technology and will effectively allow Infigen to smooth fluctuations in electricity supply from the Lake Bonney Wind Farm. Other benefits of the BESS include providing further stability to the grid through the provision of frequency control ancillary services and fast response services.
The Herbert Smith Freehills team was led by partner Dan Zador.
Mr Zador said, “Utility scale batteries are likely to be an increasingly important part of the energy mix into the future; both generators and network service providers have much to gain from this technology. The Lake Bonney BESS is one of a few early examples of the technology being deployed in Australia, and will provide crucial stability and flexibility to an increasingly complex energy landscape.”
“Infigen have demonstrated that they are leaders in the Australian renewable market with this project and we are delighted to have worked with such a committed team. Herbert Smith Freehills is also proud to continue our close relationship with Infigen, which has grown from strength to strength in recent years.”
