New $80 million battery to charge Broken Hill

Broken Hill will soon be home to a new $80 million 50 mega-watt battery that could power the town’s 10,000 homes as needed after receiving NSW Government approval.

The Department of Planning, Industry and Environment’s Acting Executive Director of Energy, Resources and Industry Assessments, Chris Ritchie, said the battery energy storage system would capture, store and distribute energy from surrounding wind and solar farms to shore up energy supply for the town of Broken Hill and beyond.

“Batteries will be key players in our transition to a renewable future, releasing extra energy when we need it and storing electricity when we don’t – making sure the grid is secure,” Mr Ritchie said.

“As we bring more wind and solar projects into the grid, it’s cutting-edge energy storage projects like the Broken Hill Battery that will help maintain reliability and keep the lights on across the State.

“There have been major advances in battery technology, and we will continue to see more large-scale batteries operating alongside solar and wind farms with many in the planning pipeline.”

The project involves the construction and operation of a battery energy storage system that will connect to the nearby TransGrid Broken Hill substation via a 22 kV overhead powerline.

Up to 50 jobs will be created during construction which is set to commence this year, with the battery operational by 2024.

For more information, visit the NSW Planning Portal.