One of the largest battery storage systems in the Southern Hemisphere is to be built in Canberra to reduce emissions and provide sustainable energy to households.
Announcing the ‘Big Canberra Battery’, Chief Minister Andrew Barr said funding for the project, to be delivered in three streams, would be allocated in the upcoming budget.
“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,” Mr Barr said.
“Once built, this ecosystem will be capable to power around one third of the ACT.”
He said the first stream of the project would deliver 250 Megawatt (MW) of grid connected battery storage to support the electricity network.
“Stream two will initially seek to deliver batteries at 14 Government sites to help reduce power used in Government buildings and reduce the strain on the distribution network,” Mr Barr said.
“Stream three will deliver medium sized neighbourhood batteries,” he said.
“The Government sites are spread around the city, with batteries planned for sites in Fyshwick, Gungahlin, Belconnen, Chifley, Greenway, Kambah and Stromlo.”
The Chief Minister said the procurement processes for streams one and two were currently being developed and would open to industry next month.
