On June 14, ENGIE's world-largest Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) was commissioned at Hazelwood, which is in the state of Victoria, South East Australia. The new facility will significantly contribute to ENGIE's goal of reaching a combined output of 10GW for all existing ENGIE battery facilities by 2030.
Seen from above, the Hazelwood facility is one-of-a-kind. The 342-module park spreads over 30 rows that are divided into 3 blocks. This HBESS - where H stands for Hazelwood - produces 150 MW/150 MWh and will make it possible to store the equivalent of one hour’s electricity generated by the solar systems installed on the roofs of 30,000 homes in the state of Victoria.
This iconic project is in line with ENGIE's commitment to develop systems that make power production more flexible and help speed up battery storage capacity. By storing electricity when renewable power production is at its highest, or when demand is at its lowest, batteries make it possible to boost the development of renewables by bridging the gap between demand and intermittent supply. "Energy storage solutions, like batteries, are key to boosting the energy transition while increasing the electric grid networks' reliability," Sebastien Arbola says. He is Executive Vice President in charge of Flex Gen & Retail activities.
The opening of HBESS, which was jointly developed by energy storage companies Eku Energy and Fluence, is part of the rehabilitation project of a former coal-powered station. The project is in line with ENGIE’s commitment to phase out coal-based power production (by 2025 in Europe and 2027 globally).
This first reallocation of former thermal assets to renewable energy technologies is a concrete illustration of ENGIE’s commitment to its decarbonization path.
