Tesla to build battery ‘re-manufacturing’ facility in Western Australia

US-based Tesla has reached agreement with the WA government to build a service, repair, and renewal facility in the state’s southwest, to perform maintenance on Tesla’s battery products.

The fab will be built at the site of the Collie battery energy storage system (BESS) being constructed near the town of the same name, around 200 km south of Perth. The BESS is in its second construction phase and will deliver a total 560 MW/2.24 GWh of energy storage capacity. The project features Tesla’s Megapack product.

The Tesla re-manufacturing plant is expected to start operating by 2026 and will initially service the company’s Megapack batteries. It is anticipated Tesla will also service its residential Powerwall batteries and EV charging equipment at the plant, once it is fully established.

Josef Tadich, regional director of Tesla Energy in the Asia Pacific region, said the facility would enable the company to repair and perform maintenance on its utility-scale and residential batteries, “Providing faster support for local customers while reducing logistical costs and emissions,” he said.

WA energy minister Reece Whitby said the re-manufacturing plant will be the biggest Tesla facility in Australia and could eventually service the wider Asia-Pacific region.

“We have one of the world’s biggest standalone electricity grids in the southwest … we have the biggest grid-scale batteries in Australia and some of the biggest on the planet being hooked up to that grid,” said Whitby. “It makes sense that Tesla is here.”

A memorandum of understanding to develop the project was signed in December between WA premier Roger Cook and Tesla Motors Australia. The deal was announced on Friday.

“They are looking to invest and invest significantly in Western Australia because they see the potential of our energy transition of Western Australia becoming a renewable energy powerhouse,” said Cook, adding the new plant “will help to encourage more battery uptake across the state.”

The location in Collie is significant because it is the home of the state’s last remaining coal-fired generators, which are due to close by 2030.

It is expected the re-manufacturing facility will employ around 50 people once it has reached full scale.

From pv magazine Australia.