AGL will today announce the opening of its 250 MW / 250 MWh grid-scale battery – roughly the same size as the Adelaide oval – at Torrens Island in Adelaide.

AGL Chief Executive Officer, Damien Nicks, celebrated the milestone for AGL and South Australia’s energy transition.

“We are thrilled to be joined by a Kaurna elder, the South Australian Energy Minister, Tom Koutsantonis MP, and our contractor partners, here today for the opening of AGL’s first operational grid-scale battery,” Mr Nicks said.

“This is a significant milestone in AGL’s transition journey as we continue to accelerate the build out of up to 12 GW of renewable and firming capacity by 2035, playing our part in Australia’s energy transition.

“This battery is the second largest battery in Australia. It will provide enough electricity to power approximately 75,000 South Australian homes for one hour – with the option to extend the duration to four hours in the future when the market is ready.

“We are taking action to deliver on our transition goals – this battery was constructed within 18 months – a great example of what can be achieved when government, regulators and the private sector are all working together.

“Importantly, this milestone demonstrates how we can make the most of our grid connections, land and people to redevelop our thermal generation sites into industrial energy hubs. On this very site in the past four years, we have announced the closure of a thermal power station, built a flexible peaking plant and commissioned the second largest battery in Australia – this is the transition in action.”

AGL Chief Operating Officer, Markus Brokhof, said the battery will provide additional capacity and flexibility for the grid.

“At the height of construction there were about 110 people working on this battery – growing the workforce capability we need for the energy transition,” Mr Brokhof said.

“South Australia has the largest penetration of rooftop solar in Australia. This battery will respond to the requirements of the SA grid in milliseconds providing additional capacity and frequency control services when the system requires it.

“The technology which makes up this battery is remarkable. There are 218 battery cabinets housing more than 6,000 battery modules.”

Wärtsilä Vice President of Energy Storage & Optimisation, Andy Tang, said: "Australia's energy transition is all about balance. Wärtsilä is partnering with AGL to help balance the intermittency of renewables and provide flexible energy capacity, while reducing their operational and lifetime costs.”

“This landmark project is helping Australia take a major step towards a 100% renewable grid and its net-zero emissions targets. We're proud to say our energy storage system is helping to maintain reliable and affordable electricity for South Australians.”

As part of AGL’s Climate Transition Action Plan, the company aims to add ~12 GW of generation and firming by the end of 2035 – comprised of ~6.3 GW of renewables and ~5.9 GW of firming.

SA Energy and Mining Minister Tom Koutsantonis:

“This Torrens Island project vindicates the decision taken under Labor in 2017 to pioneer big battery technology to underpin secure electricity supply as we transition to renewables.

That decision was at the time derided as little more than a tourist attraction, akin to the Big Banana or Big Pineapple – but it has set a template that is now emulated around the world.

“Already more than 70 per cent of South Australia’s electricity is supplied by renewables and we want this to grow as we reduce dependence on expensive gas and unreliable coal power.

“Instead of turning off people’s solar systems when there is an excess of supply, solutions such as our Hydrogen Jobs Plan and projects such as this battery create value by storing that cheap energy instead of wasting it.

We can then supply energy after the sun goes down, potentially putting downward pressure on price.”