Mornington 240 MWp/480 MWh battery project a step closer

Renewables company Maoneng has received development approval for its proposed 240 MWp/480 MWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in Mornington Peninsula.

The $190 million, standalone facility to be located adjacent to AusNet’s existing Tyabb substation is scheduled for completion in mid-2023.

Mornington Peninsula is subject to fluctuations in demand for electricity, primarily as a result of seasonal tourism, according to Maoneng. “Battery storage is one form of demand response and while this project cannot guarantee outage prevention alone, it will contribute to improving regional electricity reliability.”

The Mornington BESS project aims to improve electricity grid reliability and network stability by drawing energy from the grid during off-peak periods for battery storage and dispatching energy to the grid during peak periods, generating power for the equivalent of 40,000 average Australian homes.

An engineering, procurement and construction contractor is scheduled to be announced in the coming weeks, and the project is expected to generate up to 160 full-time equivalent jobs during its 12-month construction phase, supporting local businesses and the economy. It will also provide ongoing employment for a small team required to provide ongoing maintenance after the project is built.

The facility includes a range of components including but not limited to: batteries housed within fully enclosed battery containers, with associated inverters and transformers and an underground cable network; medium voltage (MV) switchroom; a control and operation room; onsite 220/33 kilovolt (kV) substation; an overhead transmission line (comprising up to 7 lattice towers, 40 m high) connecting the substation to the adjacent Tyabb substation; internal 4 m noise (acoustic) barriers; security infrastructure; and fire safety equipment.

Maoneng Co-founder and CEO Morris Zhou said, “The Mornington BESS will be a vital piece of local infrastructure that will benefit the local economy in several ways.

“It will help stabilise the network and manage periods of peak demand when local companies and households really need reliable electricity.

“There are also commercial opportunities during construction, and more work on the supply chain will begin soon as our contractor comes on board and begins the process of hiring individuals, companies and equipment suppliers as the project gets up to speed.”

The project will support the Victorian Government’s objectives of improving the reliability of regional electricity in an area that is particularly exposed to fluctuations in demand, and supporting renewable energy projects.