Australia added 5 GWh of big batteries in Q1

Six utility-scale BESS reached financial close in Australia during the first quarter of 2025, adding 1.5 GW of project- and 5 GWh of energy storage-capacity for an investment of AUD 2.4 billion ($1.5 billion).

Data released in Australian industry body CEC’s “Quarterly Investment Report: Large-scale renewable generation and storage for Q1 2025” cites the largest project was the Woreen BESS, in Victoria, with a capacity of 350 MW and 1.4 GWh, while South Australia (SA) led in committed storage capacity with 640 MW and 1.76 GWh.

A further three BESS projects commenced construction in the first quarter of 2025, including Danish renewables giant Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners’ 240 MW/960 MWh BESS in SA. The three projects total 840 MW/2.9 GWh, while two were commissioned with a value of 56 MW/98 MWh.

Overall, the strong start for grid-scale energy storage represents an 83% increase over the 12-month average of AUD 1.3 billion for new storage investments.

Clean Energy Council Chief Policy and Impact Officer Arron Wood said high levels of investment in battery storage over the past couple of years maintaining momentum was good to see.

“Energy storage systems, such as big batteries, are a critical part of Australia’s future energy mix and act as a reliable back-up system allowing us to store renewable energy for when it is needed most and keep the lights on under all conditions,” Wood said.

As at the end of 2024, there was over 8.7 GW/23.3 GWh of large-scale battery capacity under construction in Australia, equivalent to more than a third of energy generated by Australia’s coal-fired power stations combined.

There are also 69 committed storage projects, either standalone or hybrid projects, currently in the pipeline, equivalent to 12,532 MW/32,078 MWh.

From pv magazine Australia.

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