Samsung secures grid clearance for 400 MWh battery in Australia

The Australian renewables and energy storage arm of Samsung has received formal grid connection clearance for the Mangoplah battery energy storage project being developed near Wagga Wagga in New South Wales.

The 5.3.4A letter, issued by the Australian Energy Market Operator, confirms that the facility satisfies the technical conditions required for the battery to connect to the National Electricity Market (NEM).

The project comprises a 100 MW/400 MWh battery energy storage system being developed on a 10.5-hectare site near the township of Mangoplah, about 30 km south of Wagga Wagga. The facility would connect directly into the 132 kV electricity transmission network that traverses the site.

According to Samsung C&T Renewable Energy Australia, the BESS will provide system strength services to the transmission and distribution networks in the area, helping to provide security of supply and safeguard the energy network.

“Energy storage technologies can unlock electricity generation growth in areas experiencing network constraints,” the company said in its scoping report. “They will also support on-demand energy needs as the network transitions to more renewable sources of energy.”

The 5.3.4 letter comes after the Mangoplah project in was given the all-clear under the federal government’s EPBC Act with the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) determining the development is “not a controlled action.” 

Samsung has previously indicated that, subject to the necessary approvals, construction of the Mangoplah facility is expected to begin in 2027. Commercial operations will likely start in 2028 or 2029, depending on the approval process.

The Mangoplah project is part of Samsung C&T’s growing renewable energy portfolio in Australia. The company is currently working on several other standalone batteries  and solar and battery projects across the country.

These include a 200 MW/800 MWh Romani battery project in southwest of NSW and the 80 MW/320 MWh South Coree battery project in the state’s Riverina Murray region.

Samsung C&T is also involved with the 1,000 MW Western Giga Energy hydrogen concept proposed for Geraldton in Western Australia.

From pv magazine Australia