Cubico plans two 200 MW batteries next to Australian wind farms

The Australian business of London-based renewables developer Cubico Sustainable Investments has applied for permission to construct two 200 MW batteries in Queensland as part of two wider clean energy projects.

Documents lodged on the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act of Australia public portal indicate plans for wind generation and associated BESS at the Marmadua Energy Park and the Middle Creek Energy Hub, both in the Western Downs region of Queensland.

The 28,418-hectare Middle Creek site, 10 km east of the town of Wandoan, would feature up to 183 wind turbines with a generation capacity of up to 1,317 MW plus the proposed BESS. Cubico Sustainable Investments Australia Pty Ltd indicated a solar plant, which may also be constructed at the site, would be subject to a separate application, as would the electricity transmission line needed to transfer power to the nearest National Energy Market (NEM) line 22 km south of the proposed project site.

Cubico’s documents indicate three 1.4-hectare areas have been identified on the project site where the BESS could be installed.

The proposed 11,168-hectare Marmadua site, 23 km east of the town of Tara and 41 km southwest of Dalby, would feature up to 110 turbines with a generation capacity of up to 792 MW and the BESS and would connect to the NEM grid via an existing 330 kV line at the site.

No storage capacity was mentioned in the documents for either of the BESS. Both of the projects would require new substations.