Squadron Energy, Neoen Australia, A-CAES NSW (Hydrostor Australia), Lightsource Development Services Australia, and Ark Energy Projects were declared winners in the Australian Energy Market Operator’s (AEMO) auction to develop 950 MW of renewable energy projects and 550 MW of long-duration storage.

Of the total tendered capacity, five projects representing 750 MW of renewable energy generation and 524 MW of long-duration storage have received long-term energy service agreements.

Squadron Energy won the 400 MW Uungula Wind Farm, and Neoen won the 350 MW Culcairn Solar Farm.

A-CAES won the 200 MW/ 1,600 MWh Silver City Energy Storage, utilizing an advanced-compressed air energy storage system.

Lightsource won the 49 MW/ 392 MWh Goulburn River Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), which will utilize lithium-ion technology and be part of a hybrid project. Ark won the 275 MW/ 2,200 MWh Richmond Valley BESS, which will utilize lithium-ion technology.

The tender was floated in May this year.

Once completed, the wind and solar farms are expected to produce enough clean energy to power over 360,000 households annually. The storage projects will provide enough electricity to power 725 households from a single full cycle.

The projects are expected to be operational before 2028.

The projects will likely bring in an estimated A$4.2 billion (~$2.8 billion) in total investment in NSW’s renewable energy infrastructure and support more than 1,000 jobs over their lifetimes.

Australia’s renewable energy industry completed 20 large-scale projects, adding 2,257 MW of new capacity in 2022, which is 23.6% lower than in 2021, according to the Clean Energy Council. The capacity addition declined primarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain disruptions, and regulatory uncertainties.

Earlier, AEMO had received bids for over 8 GW of wind, solar, and long-duration storage projects in the first round of the inaugural tendering process of the NSW Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap. Of the total capacity, bids were received for over 5.5 GW of wind and solar and 2.5 GW of long-duration storage projects.