Australian 2,160 MWh BESS acquired and relocated to a decommissioned coal power plant

New South Wales (NSW)-headquartered grid-scale battery storage developer Ampyr Australia will rename and relocate the 270 MW / 2,160 MWh Davenport battery energy storage system (BESS) project after acquiring it from Adelaide-based renewable energy developer Green Gold Energy (GGE).

GGE has been developing the project since 2023 and will continue to support it under the new name Northern Battery, and moved to the decommissioned Northern Power Station site at Port Augusta, 308 kilometers north of Adelaide, South Australia (SA).

Ampyr has chosen to build the grid-forming BESS at the new location to capitalise on pre-existing substation infrastructure and minimize community impacts. On construction completion in 2026, the Northern Battery will provide up to eight hours of energy storage, and will be a grid-forming battery.

Few details were provided around if the existing approvals, including environmental, apply to the newly chosen site. The Northern Power Station was decommissioned in 2016 by then owner Alinta Energy, after three decades years of operation as a 520 MW plant.

Ampyr Chief Executive Officer Alex Wonhas said South Australia is one of the global benchmarks in renewable generation.

“The next phase of its energy transition will be dominated by energy storage, not generation. The accelerated deployment of long-duration grid-scale batteries is critical to strengthening system reliability and security while reducing consumer costs,” said Wonhas, the former senior executive at the Australian Energy Market Operator.

GGE Managing Director John Huang said the company’s partnership with Ampyr represents a strategic milestone toward achieving its goal of supporting SA achieve 100% clean energy.

“The Northern Battery project is designed as an integrated model that combines grid-forming technology, intelligent storage and market-aligned dispatch, helping South Australia evolve from a leader in renewable uptake to a leader in sustainable renewable operation,” Huang said.

“The project is intended to serve as a scalable reference for the next phase of Australia’s energy-system transition.”

Ampyr is engaging with the Port August community to ensure employment and local business opportunities, initiating a $40,000 community benefit fund to support local community projects and engaging with the Nukunu Traditional Owners to build a culturally appropriate, economically and socially beneficial partnership with First Nations people.

Ampyr says it is committed to delivering 6 GWh of operational battery storage to the Australian grid by 2030, serving 10-20% of future storage demand.