Blackrock-Backed Firm Wins Contract to Build ‘Super Battery’ in Australia’s Most Populous State

Blackrock-Backed Firm Wins Contract to Build ‘Super Battery’ in Australia’s Most Populous State
Daniel Y. Teng
Updated:
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BlackRock-backed battery storage company Akaysha Energy has been chosen to build a “Super Battery” in Australia’s most populous state New South Wales.

Its partnership with the U.S. investment giant began in August after BlackRock invested A$1 billion (US$701 million) into the Melbourne-based energy firm.

The firm already has nine projects underway across Australia, including the 1,600 megawatt Orana battery in Wellington, central-west NSW, which can store around eight hours of electricity.

The state’s energy minister has called the Waratah Super Battery the “biggest network battery” in the southern hemisphere that will be built on the site of the old Lake Munmorah Power Station around 100 kilometres north of Sydney.

Nick Carter, managing director of Akaysha, said the company won the project due to its talented team.

“The team itself are all made up of experienced industry professionals that have worked on lots of battery projects before,” he said in comments obtained by ESD news. “We had fantastic backing from BlackRock to support us throughout the process.”

Meanwhile, NSW Energy Minister Matt Kean said the Super Battery will be a “shock absorber” for the electricity grid and will provide 700 megawatts of standby capacity when wind or solar farms are not producing.

Matt Kean, NSW Minister for Energy ahead of the opening of the national trail walk at the Royal National Park in Bundeena, New South Wales, Australia on Sep. 14, 2019. (Jenny Evans/Getty Images)
Matt Kean, NSW Minister for Energy ahead of the opening of the national trail walk at the Royal National Park in Bundeena, New South Wales, Australia on Sep. 14, 2019. Jenny Evans/Getty Images

“The Waratah Super Battery will drive up to A$1 billion in private investment in new energy storage and associated network upgrades, generating more than 100 jobs in the Hunter and Central Coast regions,” Kean said in a statement.

“The battery will ensure electricity consumers in Sydney, Newcastle, and Wollongong have access to more energy from existing generators while new transmission connections are developed.”

The battery will hopefully replace the lost capacity from the closure of the Eraring coal-fired power station in August 2025.

The NSW government is one of many state authorities in Australia that have announced ambitious climate change policies aimed at decarbonising their economies.

NSW aims to reach net-zero by 2050 and has policies to encourage electric vehicle take-up and development of hydrogen—a technology not mature enough for widespread use.

Is It Worth It?

Yet concerns have been raised that the billions (or trillions) required to build new renewable energy sources and transmission infrastructure may not outweigh the actual benefits for households and businesses.
“How will such a large-scale rebuild of the whole system affect the electricity price, and consequently the cost of living, and Australia’s productivity and competitiveness? The answer to that is not clear,” wrote Peter Castle, an Australian oil and gas engineer in The Epoch Times.

“Replacing generation capacity with storage capacity is good in theory, but the required storage volumes are staggering, and the choice of technology that may achieve it is unclear.”

At the same time, some experts say climate change advocates—including scientists and media commentators—have misrepresented the condition of the environment to support their agenda.

California-based eco-modernist Michael Shellenberger says the environment is, in fact, in the best shape ever.

He said there was more coral in the Great Barrier Reef than there has ever been in 36 years. At the same time, the area of land burned by forest fires had declined by 25 percent globally since 2003—an area the size of Texas.

“The death rate from natural disasters has crashed; we have four times as many people as we did in the world 100 years ago. The death toll has declined about 90 percent in the United States,” he told CPAC Australia.

Daniel Y. Teng
Daniel Y. Teng
Writer
Daniel Y. Teng is based in Brisbane, Australia. He focuses on national affairs including federal politics, COVID-19 response, and Australia-China relations. Got a tip? Contact him at [email protected].
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