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Neoen Completes First Stage of Collie Battery Energy Storage System in Western Australia

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Collie BESS, Neoen, energy storage, Western Australia, renewable energy

Business Honor
29 October, 2024

New BESS enhances grid stability and supports clean energy transition in the region.

Neoen said it has achieved the first phase of the Collie Battery Energy Storage System in Western Australia. This marks a major milestone in the energy future of the region. The first phase is a 219MW and 877MWh facility, the first 4-hour duration BESS from Neoen Australia, to connect to the South West Interconnected System (SWIS).

Neoen began its construction of the BESS in March 2024 but is already ahead of that schedule envisioned earlier for the plan, where it was targeting to connect with the power grid in 2025. Synergy's large 500MW/2,000MWh Collie is a part of a bigger scheme to upgrade the region's energy provision to cleaner sources because the old aging Collie Power Station-an old coal-burning place-is due for closure come 2027.

Western Australia's Premier, Roger Cook, praised the project saying that Collie BESS will continue keeping the area at the "heart of the state's energy system." It is going to make a considerable contribution toward grid stability in delivering reliable and affordable energy and integrating renewable sources of energy.

The second phase will increase the plant's capacity by 341MW and 1,363MWh. Currently, it is under construction, and it will be completed by 2025. At full operation, the Collie BESS will include 640 battery units provided by CATL, which is headquartered in China, utilizing their EnerC containerized lithium iron phosphate (LFP) solution.

The entire investment for the Collie BESS is about AU$1.6 billion. This project is partly financed from the AU$2.3 billion drawn down from the 2023-2024 Western Australian State Budget. Major milestones achieved by Neoen in the energy storage sector include a notable successful delivery such as the 300MW/450MWh Victorian Big Battery and others currently underway in Queensland and South Australia.

As Australia builds to a sustainable future in the use of clean energy sources, the BESS in Collie will form an indispensable resource for renewable and low-carbon-energy supply.