Synergy completes 800 MWh Kwinana battery in Western Australia

Perth-headquartered, state-owned gentailer Synergy in collaboration with Western Australia (WA) infrastructure provider GenusPlus Group have completed the 200 MW / 800 MWh Kwinana battery energy storage system Stage 2 (KBESS2), located 30 kilometres southwest of Perth.

Feeding into the South West Interconnected System (SWIS) both stages of Kwinana will power 450,000 Perth households for up to four hours, with KBESS2 providing over four times the storage capacity of the 150 MW KBESS1.

WA Energy Minister Reece Whitby said the government’s promise of clean, affordable, and reliable power is being kept.

“It won’t just soak up excess rooftop solar and onshore wind during the day – it will provide electricity in the evening, when the sun doesn’t shine, and the wind doesn’t blow,” Whitby said.

“As we continue to retire state-owned coal-fired power, large-scale storage will play a critical role in enabling a smooth transition and backs in households seeking to benefit from rooftop solar.”

The $661 million (USD 427.6 million) KBESS2 comprises 288 containerised China-headquartered Contemporary Amperex Technology Co (CATL) liquid-cooling lithium ion phosphate (LFP) batteries.

The 72 inverters are provided by Spain-headquartered Power Electronics and the project is connected to utility Western Power’s 330 kV transmission system via existing infrastructure at the adjacent KBESS1.

Work on the Kwinana battery project began in July 2023 and the battery is expected to be switched on before Christmas 2024, contributing to the WA government’s bid to close coal-fired power generators by 2030 and replace them with renewables.

WA Premier Roger Cook said the Kwinana big batteries will play a vital role in keeping the state’s energy system reliable and stable, while bringing on more renewable energy and phasing out coal by 2030.

“We’re smashing renewable energy records because of our Labor Government’s significant investment into the energy transition,” Cook said.

KBESS1 AND KBESS2 join Neoen’s 560 MW / 2,240 MWh battery unit in Collie, 200 kilometres south of Perth, and as well as Synergy’s Collie BESS, due to come online next year, 187 kilometres south of Perth.

WA broke a renewable energy record on 17 November 2024, when 85.1% of electricity was generated by renewables, up from 14% in 2017 and 34% in 2023.