Stanwell adds 650 MW to its growing energy storage portfolio

Queensland state-owned generation company Stanwell has boosted its energy storage portfolio with two new developments with a combined capacity of almost 650 MW entering its project pipeline.
Image: Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners

The Queensland government said Stanwell has inked a deal to purchase 100% of capacity from the third stage of an up to 800 MW / 2,000 MWh battery energy storage project being developed in Brisbane.

Stanwell has also announced it will acquire a stake in a 400 MW pumped hydro energy storage project being progressed in Queensland’s Darling Downs region as the state government looks to ramp up energy storage capacity to support the transition to renewables.

Stanwell Chief Executive Officer Michael O’Rourke said the deals would be a win for the energy corporation, which operates two of the state’s largest coal-fired power stations, and its commercial and industrial customers looking to decarbonise their operations.

“The proposed arrangements would enable Stanwell to have 2.8 GWh of renewable energy storage committed by 2027, which means we are well on our way to achieving our objective of 5 GWh of firming assets by 2035,” he said.

The first of the agreements will see Stanwell buy the full output of the 250 MW / 1,010 MWh third stage of the Supernode battery energy storage project being developed by Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners in the northern Brisbane suburb of Brendale.

The project consists of three 250 MW stages, each with different amounts of energy storage duration. Construction of stages one and two is already underway.

O’Rourke said the proposed 15-year capacity purchase agreement would be Stanwell’s first battery power deal in partnership with a private company. Stanwell is already building two large-scale batteries at the Tarong and Stanwell power station sites which are set to become clean energy hubs.

“Battery storage is crucial, allowing for renewable electricity to be stored and then released during peak demand periods,” he said. “The proposed stage three of Supernode would do just that whilst also creating further employment opportunities from the overall site expansion.”

The agreement with Quinbrook includes obligations to hold talks regarding the potential involvement of Stanwell’s Asset Maintenance Company (SAMCo) to provide operations and maintenance services for the Supernode project.

SAMCo will also be given preference to service and maintain the Cressbrook pumped hydro energy storage project which Stanwell is looking to acquire a stake in.

The Cressbrook project, also known as Big T pumped hydro storage project, has been developed by BE Power in collaboration with GE Renewable energy at Lake Cressbrook, about 45 km northeast of Toowoomba and 65 km south of Stanwell’s Tarong power station.

The facility, which is in its early stages of development, will have a capacity of 400 MW of energy for up to 10 hours per day.

Stanwell said it aims to acquire the project in a joint venture with an “established global pumped hydro operator’ with additional investment partners to be sought to help fund the construction.

The project will use Lake Cressbrook as the lower reservoir with a new upper reservoir constructed on land that will be owned by Stanwell and its project partner, 2.1 km northeast of the lake.

During periods of high electricity demand or to firm the grid, up to 6.4 gigalitres of water would be released from the upper reservoir downstream into Lake Cressbrook, driving two 200 MW turbines for a period of up to 10 hours. Once this cycle is complete, the upper reservoir will be replenished with water pumped from Lake Cressbrook in readiness for the next release.

The Cressbrook pumped hydro facility is expected to commence operations in mid-2033 and would meet about 25% of Stanwell’s future energy storage requirements.

“The development of medium-duration energy storage, like pumped hydro, is crucial to enable the continued build out of renewable energy generation,” O’Rourke said. “Cressbrook PHES also supports the ongoing development of our Tarong clean energy hub.”

From pv magazine Australia

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  • David is a senior journalist with more than 25 years' experience in the Australian media industry as a writer, designer and editor for print and online publications. Based in Queensland – Australia’s Sunshine State – he joined pv magazine Australia in 2020 to help document the nation’s ongoing shift to solar.

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