News & Discussion: Electricity Infrastructure

[PeFe]

Neoen is proposing another large battery, apart from the proposed mega battery at Goyder South.

These large batteries will be gas killers.

Neoen reveals plans for another 300MW big battery in South Australia



French renewable energy and battery storage developer Neoen, fresh from the formal opening of the Victorian Big Battery – the biggest in Australia to date – has revealed plans for a potentially even bigger battery in South Australia.

Neoen is due to hold a community open day on Thursday for the Blyth battery, which will be sized up to 300MW and 800MWh, trumping the 300MW/450MWh capacity of the newly opened VBB near Geelong.

The Blyth battery will be located west of the town of Blyth, north of Adelaide, and alongside the existing Blyth West sub station, which have now become prime sites for aspiring battery storage developers.

It is one of three huge big battery projects proposed in South Australia by Neoen, including the 900MW/1800MWh big battery that will form part of the massive Goyder South wind, solar and battery hybrid, and a smaller battery as part of the renewable hydrogen hub proposed for Crystal Brook.

Another big battery – a 250MW/250MWh facility at AGL’s Torrens Island gas facility – has also begun construction.

Neoen Australia boss Louis de Sambucy told RenewEconomy in an interview on Wednesday that there was plenty of room for more big batteries in South Australia, which has two other operating big batteries at Lake Bonney and Dalrymple, and another at Lincoln Gap waiting for commissioning.

See RenewEconomy’s Big Battery Storage Map of Australia

De Sambucy said Goyder South was perfectly positioned – next to the South Australia end of the new Project EnergyConnect transmission line to NSW – to provide “virtual transmission” services in the same way that the VBB is contracted to do with the link from NSW to Victoria. This allows the link to operate at higher capacity.



Blyth, de Sambucy said, would also provide grid services but it’s proposed storage element of up to three hours suggests that it could also play a key role in the arbitrage market, which focuses on shifting the output of wind and solar from times of surplus supply.

South Australia is already running at an annual average of more than 62 per cent wind and solar – with very little storage capacity from its existing three batteries at Hornsdale, Dalrymple and Lake Bonney – and often enjoys lengthy periods of more than 100 per cent renewables, with the excess exported to Victoria.

Over coming years, particularly after the new link to NSW is completed, South Australia is expected to reach “net 100 per cent” renewables well before the state government target of 2030.

De Sambucy said it was often thought the more prominent role of battery storage would be when there is little wind and solar in the grid, discharging to help meet supply. But because of the multiple grid stability services that they can supply, they were needed at times when there was lots of wind and solar production.

“We see a growing need for batteries when there is a lot of energy in the network,” de Sambucy told RenewEconomy.

“They are not just needed when discharging. Batteries can be extremely useful to stabilise the network, with very high advantage over fossil fuels, but today there is not really any market for all the services (batteries can offer) in the market.”

Neoen plans to build a big battery in every mainland state in the NEM.

It is already contracted to build a big battery in Canberra, as part of a deal that also includes the first 100MW wind stage of Goyder South, and is looking at battery storage near Lithgow, and in Queensland, at Western Downs solar farm due to be complete mid 2022, and the Kaban renewable hub now under construction.

The Blyth project is in its early stages, and no technology partner has been selected, although Neoen has chosen Tesla as its partner in all three battery storage projects to date – at Hornsdale, Bulgana and the VBB.

https://reneweconomy.com.au/neoen-revea ... australia/

[PeFe]

South Australia hopefully will be part of the European hydrogen supply chain.

Wind and solar leave South Australia well placed for Dutch hydrogen market



A new study has determined that South Australia’s abundant and low cost wind and solar resources leave it well placed to grab a significant share of the green hydrogen market that will funnel through the Port of Rotterdam, the biggest sea port in Europe.

The study done with the Port of Rotterdam Authority concludes that – despite its distance – South Australia is expected to be cost competitive supplier to the Dutch port’s massive green hydrogen plans, and could meet up to 10% of its renewable hydrogen demand of 1.8 million tonnes a year in 2050.

South Australia is supporting four different green hydrogen already under development, and there are another seven shortlisted for land at Port Bonython. The study predicts that South Australia could become a significant renewable hydrogen producer and exporter as early as 2025-2026.

“We have been working with the Port of Rotterdam on a pre-feasibility study which shows our state could supply a significant share of hydrogen that Rotterdam expects to import by 2050,” said Dan van Holst Pellekaan, South Australia’s minister for energy and mining.

“A huge new global market is developing as much of the world shifts towards renewable energy for power and to reduce carbon emissions by 2050, and South Australia is leading the way using its abundance of wind and solar to produce and export low-cost energy, including clean, green hydrogen exports.”

South Australia has a target of reaching “net 100 per cent renewables” for its domestic electricity supply in coming years, and has a long term goal of reaching 500 per cent renewables through the supply of green hydrogen and green ammonia to domestic and international customers.

he Port of Rotterdam has already lined up a number of green hydrogen-based projects to be built in and around the port. A 2GW offshore wind farm will be built offshore and linked to a 2GW hydrogen conversion park which will include operators such as Shell and H2-Fifty.

Import terminals are also being planned as well as blue hydrogen production – hydrogen produced from natural gas and refinery gas – and hydrogen production from biomass.

Further, a consortium is under development with the aim of operating 500 trucks on hydrogen, and plans are also in the works to investigate using hydrogen for heating greenhouses and buildings through a national hydrogen grid.



The study also concluded that careful consideration needs to be given to a masterplan for the development of a port and industrial complex including export infrastructure at Port Bonython.

South Australia is not the only potential Australian state with views of exporting hydrogen to the Port of Rotterdam. Western Australia’s McGowan government signed a memorandum of understanding with the Port of Rotterdam late last month with a similar view to building a renewable hydrogen export supply chain.

https://reneweconomy.com.au/wind-and-so ... en-market/

[PeFe]

Goyder South has started construction....

Neoen begins work on first stage of Australia’s biggest wind, solar and battery project



French renewable energy and storage developer Neoen has begun work on the first 412MW stage of what will likely be the country’s biggest wind, solar and battery storage project.

The company announced on Monday that it has commenced “early works” on the Goyder South wind farm, the first stage of a massive project near Burra that could grow to 1200MW of wind, 600MW of solar, and 900MW and possibly 1,800MWh of battery storage.

The 412MW first stage will – at least for a while – be the biggest wind farm in the state and another important element in propelling South Australia towards the state government’s target of reaching net 100 per cent renewables by 2030 – a world leading landmark it is likely to reach well before then.

Neoen, which already owns and operates the 315MW Hornsdale wind farm in South Australia (pictured above) and the neighbouring Hornsdale Power Reserve, aka the original Tesla big battery, has already contracted 100MW of the capacity of Goyder South to the ACT government, and is seeking other off-take deals.

Louis de Sambucy, the head of Neoen in Australia, described the Goyder South renewable zone as the company’s “most competitive giga-project” and confirmed that solar and battery storage will be added in the future to deliver “firm 24/7” renewable energy.

“We would like to thank the South Australian and ACT Governments for their continued support and renewed trust,” he said. “With this world class project, we are privileged to be supporting South Australia’s ambition to be a renewable energy exporter and contributing to the ACT’s target of net zero emissions by 2045.”

The first stage of Goyder South will be complete by 2024 and will connect to the grid near the Robertstown substation, where the proposed new transmission link to NSW, known as Project EnergyConnect, should be complete by early 2025, paving the way for the expansion of the Goyder South renewable zone.

As part of its contract with the ACT, Neoen agreed to build a big battery in the Canberra region and has already begun construction of a 100MW/200MWh big battery, which will be bigger than planned because of the rapidly expanding market opportunities for storage.

https://reneweconomy.com.au/neoen-doubl ... on-in-act/

The battery planned for Goyder South promises to be even bigger, with 900MW and two hours of storage, although the duration of that storage could change as different market opportunities emerge.

The extent to which Goyder South will be built out to its full envisaged capacity will depend on the success of Project EnergyConnect and the delivery of some of the major green hydrogen projects being discussed.

“This project is possible because of the Project EnergyConnect interconnector with New South Wales, a transformational project that will secure the South Australian grid and allow us to export our abundant renewable energy,” South Australia minister Dan van Holst Pellekaan said in a statement.

“The Goyder South Project highlights South Australia’s world class renewable energy capacity, helping to deliver cheaper, cleaner electricity and hundreds of jobs and billions of dollars in investment in the state.”

South Australia has averaged more than 62 per cent wind and solar power over the last 12 months (as a percentage of local demand), but this has jumped to more than 73 per cent in the past month after constraints on output were relieved following the commissioning of four synchronous condensers.

These syncons – big spinning machines that do not burn fuel – provide system strength to the local grid and allow the market operator to maintain grid security with only a very small amount of gas generation (sometimes less than five per cent) in support.

Shane Rattenbury, the ACT minister for climate change and sustainability, said the construction of the Goyder South first stage will ensure the ACT continues to deliver 100 per cent renewables in future years, even with the electrification of transport and buildings.

“This will allow us to accommodate a growing population, support renewable energy initiatives such as electric vehicles and transition our economy off fossil gas,” he said.

Neoen is also building the Western Downs solar farm in Queensland, which at 400MW will be the biggest in Australia, and recently completed the biggest battery in the country, the 300MW/450MWh Victorian big battery near Geelong in Victoria.

The Goyder South first stage project will feature 75 GE 5.5-159 Cypress turbines, with major works to begin in the second quarter this year, and will create over 400 construction jobs and 12 full time permanent positions.

It is being built on the lands of the Ngadjuri people, and will also incorporate an eco-tourism initiative around the Worlds End Gorge.

https://reneweconomy.com.au/neoen-begin ... y-project/

[PeFe]

Solar project at Ikea complete......why post something sounding so inconsequential?

Because its actually quite groundbreaking, 1.2 mw solar panels (thats 1200 kw of rooftop solar compared to the average house with 6kw) with a 3 mw battery (thats a 3000kw battery compared to your home battery that outputs 4kw)

From One Step Off the Grid

Microgrid milestone as Ikea Adelaide rooftop solar plant is energised



The ground-breaking solar and battery microgrid being built to power the Adelaide store of Swedish furniture giant, Ikea, has reached a major milestone, after the rooftop PV component of the project was energised during commissioning this week.

The milestone was announced on LinkedIn on Monday by Planet Ark Power, the Brisbane-based company that is developing the microgrid in conjunction with Ikea, SA Power Networks, Epic Energy and Schneider Electric.

The $6.6 million project, flagged by Ikea Australia in mid-2020, will combine 1.2MW of solar on the rooftop of the Adelaide Ikea megastore with a 3MW/3.3MWh OilPower CATL lithium-ion battery storage system.

The microgrid, which will be owned and operated by Epic Energy, will also use Planet Ark Power’s eleXsys energy management system, a dynamic solar management solution that works to optimise export revenues and grid integration.

Planet Ark Power said on Monday that, with the electrical infrastructure complete and the civil works well underway, the battery and eleXsys controllers, housed in 4 x 40ft containers, were scheduled to be installed in April.

“The microgrid represents a significant step forward for IKEA in meeting its goal to be carbon neutral by 2030,” the LinkedIn post said.

“With the powerful solar PV system comprising solar panels from Q Cells Australia and inverters from SMA Australia, [the microgrid] will be used to power up to 70% of the electricity needs at the 23,500 sqm facility.”

EleXsys Energy, which trades in Australia as Planet Ark Power, last May completed a $A6.55 million capital raise, with funds coming mostly from investors in Australian and the UK, where eleXsys has been in the process of being incorporated.

Just this week, the company announced it would trial its voltage control technology across five locations in the Queensland grid, with three devices installed within the Energy Queensland network, an additional device installed at a behind-the-meter premises, and another to be used for testing at a real-time simulator facility operated by Energy Queensland in Cairns.

EleXsys COO and CFO, Jonathan Ruddick, said last year that the inclusion of the company’s energy management system in the Ikea microgrid was the critical link that made the project “so innovative and world leading.”

“Our eleXsys technology solution functions to ensure certainty of revenue streams from the export of surplus solar energy and grid stability services into the grid without the risk of curtailment by electricity network operators,” he said.

“What we’re doing is bringing those large remote solar and wind farms into the urban environment where the energy is actually needed, avoiding transmission costs, and giving confidence that voltage management is being provided dynamically.

“Once you solve those zero export issues, the investment becomes de-risked… and that’s where Epic Energy comes into the fold, and enters a PPA (power purchase agreement) with Ikea based on de-risked or predictable investment returns.

“This results in a new investment class which we call Microgrids as a Service (MAS). These can be used by industrial zones to install optimised rooftop solar and offer the sort of predictable returns on investment that are currently bedeviling the big solar farms.”

https://onestepoffthegrid.com.au/microg ... energised/

[PeFe]

86% renewable power in South Australia last week.

[PeFe]

The SA-NSW Interconnector has started construction on the South Australian sector.

First poles erected in $2.4bn transmission link to create “renewables superpower”



The first transmission poles have been installed in the 900km transmission link between South Australia and NSW that will help accelerate the transition to a grid based around wind, solar and storage.

The $2.4 billion Project EnergyConnect is the first of a number of main transmission lines proposed by the Australian Energy Market Operator and various state authorities as they build up the infrastructure needed to support a grid transitioning to 100 per cent renewables.

It’s expected that the new link – due to be completed by early 2025 – will help fast track South Australia’s goal of reaching “net 100 per cent renewables”, and will also support multiple gigawatts of new capacity in south-west NSW, where the state government is aiming to replace its coal generators over the next decade.

South Australia premier Steven Marshall said the project will drive billions of dollars of investment in renewable energy in South Australia, and help transform the state into a “renewable energy export superpower.”

“Project EnergyConnect will be a freeway for renewable energy produced in South Australia and exported to New South Wales, reducing electricity prices and fuelling economic growth in both states,” he said in a statement.

“Importantly, it will strengthen the power grid, so we can securely add more renewable energy whilst addressing Labor’s legacy of blackouts and price increases.” (South Australia is heading to an election next month).

The first transmission poles of what will be the longest high voltage transmission line built in Australia were installed at Robertstown, part of the 206kms of a new link that will reach the NSW border, with a further 700kms or so going to Wagga Wagga, with a spur line from Buronga to Red Cliffs in Victoria.

The new transmission line will allow for the sharing of energy between the two states, with most of it to be provided by renewables.

“Project EnergyConnect is a key project of national significance that will help improve the affordability, reliability and security of electricity supply for South Australians and strengthen the National Electricity Market,” Electranet interim CEO Rainer Korte said in a statement.

The project also includes an upgrade to existing Robertstown and Tungkillo substations. Robertstown is likely to be the centre of multiple large wind, solar and storage projects, with the most prominent being Neoen’s massive Goyder South wind, solar and battery project that has already begun its 400MW first stage.

“Once completed and energised, Project EnergyConnect will deliver an expected annual bill saving of around $100 for a typical South Australian residential power customer, while larger customers can expect greater savings,” Korte said.

Construction work on the new interconnector in South Australia is expected to create more than 200 regional jobs and once completed, approximately 250 ongoing jobs across the local economy. Transgrid is building the NSW section.

ElectraNet said the South Australian component of the project would comprise about 380 new transmission towers built and 2,500 kilometres of new conductor, and use 15,000 cubic metres of concrete and more than 11,500 tonnes of steel. Construction work in South Australia is expected to be completed in late 2023.

https://reneweconomy.com.au/first-poles ... uperpower/

[1NEEDS2POST]

The SA-NSW interconnector is 330 kV AC, I was hoping HVDC.

[SBD]

The SA-NSW interconnector is 330 kV AC, I was hoping HVDC.

What are the advantages and disadvantages?

Why build a new substation at Bundey 12 km from Robertstown substation to step up/down from 275kV to 330kV? Why not do it all at one place?

[PD2/20]

..
Why build a new substation at Bundey 12 km from Robertstown substation to step up/down from 275kV to 330kV? Why not do it all at one place?

I suspect there are space constraints at the Robertstown site. The 132kV switchyard is at the NE end of the site and the 275kV yard to the SW has double circuit lines to the NW (Canowie, Davenport) and the SE (Tungkillo). Recently the installation of the 2 SVCs required extension of of the 275kV yard. Project EnergyConnect will involve 3 x 400MVA 275/330kV transformers. If these were sited at Robertstown further extension to the 275kV yard would be required as well as space for the 3 transformers and the 330kV yard. Looking at aerial photography there is a creek to the SW which possibly constrains expansion.

[1NEEDS2POST]

The SA-NSW interconnector is 330 kV AC, I was hoping HVDC.

What are the advantages and disadvantages?

Why build a new substation at Bundey 12 km from Robertstown substation to step up/down from 275kV to 330kV? Why not do it all at one place?

HVDC's advantage is lower loss over long distances, especially underwater or underground. Over short distances, it's higher loss because it needs to convert from AC to DC and back to AC.

The Sun Cable from Darwin to Singapore (https://suncable.sg/australia-asia-power-link/) will be 4,500 km long, which is only possible with HVDC. If we built the SA-NSW interconnector as HVDC, it could be extended to WA. Currently WA is separated from the rest of the grid. Connecting WA to the grid would extend the time in the day we could use solar power because the sun sets later there.

[SBD]

The SA-NSW interconnector is 330 kV AC, I was hoping HVDC.

What are the advantages and disadvantages?

Why build a new substation at Bundey 12 km from Robertstown substation to step up/down from 275kV to 330kV? Why not do it all at one place?

HVDC's advantage is lower loss over long distances, especially underwater or underground. Over short distances, it's higher loss because it needs to convert from AC to DC and back to AC.

The Sun Cable from Darwin to Singapore (https://suncable.sg/australia-asia-power-link/) will be 4,500 km long, which is only possible with HVDC. If we built the SA-NSW interconnector as HVDC, it could be extended to WA. Currently WA is separated from the rest of the grid. Connecting WA to the grid would extend the time in the day we could use solar power because the sun sets later there.

Thank you both for clear answers to my questions.

I imagine that a separate HVDC line could be built to WA from Port Augusta/Whyalla/Ceduna if it became viable to add WA to the NEM. I imagine that there would be a question of whether the solar timeshift could be significant enough to outweigh the cost of building and maintaining a line with high enough capacity to be significant for moving power west in the morning shoulder and east in the evening one.

Soon, a couple of 500MW/1GWh batteries (one at each end) might be comparable capital and operating costs to building a 500MW HVDC line. I assume inverters would be similar cost either way, but it would be easier to expand the batteries later.

[1NEEDS2POST]

I imagine that a separate HVDC line could be built to WA from Port Augusta/Whyalla/Ceduna if it became viable to add WA to the NEM. I imagine that there would be a question of whether the solar timeshift could be significant enough to outweigh the cost of building and maintaining a line with high enough capacity to be significant for moving power west in the morning shoulder and east in the evening one.

Soon, a couple of 500MW/1GWh batteries (one at each end) might be comparable capital and operating costs to building a 500MW HVDC line. I assume inverters would be similar cost either way, but it would be easier to expand the batteries later.

I think Port Augusta would be our end of a WA interconnector because it's where the 275 kV lines converge. This map shows all the transmission lines in SA: https://www.aemo.com.au/-/media/files/e ... .pdf?la=en

There is also wind power in WA that is working when ours is not. HVDC can be very powerful, some lines in China are over 10 GW. So we could power most of the east coast from one HVDC line.

[PeFe]

The state of play with renewables in South Australia.

Wind and solar production exceeded demand every second day in South Australia in 2021



The extraordinary pace of the renewable energy transition in South Australia has been highlighted by new data from the Australian Energy Market Operator, which shows that electricity generated from renewables exceeded state demand every second day in 2021.

In South Australia renewables means only wind and solar, as there are no other renewable sources in the state – no hydro and no geothermal.

In 2021, according to the AEMO data, wind and solar accounted for 63.4 per cent of total generation within the states. Another 0.7 per cent came from battery storage, much of that charged up by renewables. Fossil fuels, in this case gas, fell to just 35.7 per cent.

The share of wind energy was 43.9 per cent, the share of utility scale solar was 4.6 per cent, while rooftop solar accounted for 14.9 per cent.

Other countries and distinct grids have greater shares of wind energy, but it is the combination of wind and solar, and the penetration of rooftop solar, that makes South Australia the leading gigawatt scale grid in the world.



That share of renewables is expected to increase dramatically in coming years. The state Liberal government has a target of “net 100 per cent” renewables by 2030, but the reality is that it will reach that target well before then.

The construction of a new transmission link to NSW, the $2.3 billion Project EnergyConnect, will dramatically increase the number of wind and solar projects providing electricity to the local grid because it will allow more production to be exported, rather than curtailed.

The Port Augusta Renewable Energy Park, the largest wind and solar hybrid project in the country with more than 200MW of wind and 110MW of solar, will join the grid soon, while the Tailem Bend solar farm will double inn size, and the first 412MW wind stage of the massive Goyder South hybrid project has begun construction.

More big batteries, such as the one being built at Torrens Island, and numerous others planned for the grid, including a 900MW, two hour battery at Goyder South, will also be able to absorb excess production.

Also, newly installed synchronous condensers, which provide much needed grid services such as “system strength” means that AEMO no longer has to force gas generation into the grid at times of high renewables.

New big batteries with “grid forming inverter” technologies, such as the new Torrens battery being built in South Australia, will be able to provide much, if not all, of that “system strength” requirement.



AEMO’s posting on Twitter also confirms two other previously revealed milestones.

These included the highest amount of renewables compared to demand in a single day (135 per cent, recorded on November 27), and a new low of “operational demand” of 104MW, recorded on October 31, when rooftop solar accounted for 92 per cent of underlying demand.

https://reneweconomy.com.au/wind-and-so ... a-in-2021/

And the Tailem Bends Solar Farm to double capacity.

Vena gets ready to double size of South Australia’s second solar farm



Vena Energy is getting ready to double the size of its Tailem Bend solar farm, which is one of two large scale solar farms operating in South Australia.

Spanish group Soltec says it has won a contract to to provide the tracking system for the 87MW second stage of Tailem Bend, which will add to the 95MW facility that was brought into operation in 2019.

Surprisingly, South Australia only has two large scale solar projects – accounting for just 4.6 per cent of the state’s generation last year – although it also sourced 16.9 per cent of its needs from rooftop solar, and a massive 43.9 per cent from wind.

However, the planned opening of a new transmission link to NSW, and the installation of more battery storage – both large scale and household – will improve the market for large scale solar farms in the state.

Several are planned – the Port Augusta Renewable Energy Park includes a 110MW solar farm as part of what will be the country’s biggest wind and solar hybrid when it opens later this year, although the planned 260MW Cultana solar farm planned by Sanjeev Gupta appears to have been put on hold.

Soltec says it will supply its 2-in-portrait SF7 trackers to Tailem Bend, and will be the largest contract it has won since establishing an office in Australia in 2017.

It says the project will cover around 200 hectares and be equipped with 2,436 SF7 solar trackers, with more than 18,000 piles and 219,240 modules.

Vena Energy was contacted for comment.

https://reneweconomy.com.au/vena-gets-r ... olar-farm/

[PeFe]

Indications that the construction on the Cultana solar farm near Whyalla is about to begin.

Simec ‘gearing up’ to start work on 280MW South Australian solar farm

Work on the long-awaited 280MW Cultana Solar Farm in South Australia appears set to begin with Simec Energy Australia announcing this week it is preparing to start construction on the $350 million project.



The 280MW Cultana Solar Farm has been on the drawing board for more than four years but project developer Simec Energy Australia, a part of British industrialist Sanjeev Gupta’s GFG Alliance, has in recent weeks published a string of notices indicating work on the renewable energy power plant is about to begin.

“The Cultana Solar Farm is … gearing up to start construction,” the company said this week in a social media post.

The Cultana project, being developed on an 1100-hectare site north of Whyalla on the Eyre Peninsula, received development approval in mid-May 2019. In 2020 the South Australian (SA) government signed a 10-year power purchase agreement with energy retailer ZEN Energy for the supply of renewable energy from the plant.

Construction of the project has however been repeatedly delayed with GFG under a financial microscope in recent years following the collapse of major backer Greensill.

In May last year, GFG announced it was looking to find a potential buyer or development partner for the Cultana project, but it now appears the company is pushing ahead with the development.

Simec has in recent weeks advertised a series of roles connected with the construction of the project which would be one of the largest solar farms in the state.

The company said the project site, to the north of GFG’s Whyalla Steelworks, is set to house 780,000 solar panels capable of generating 700GWh of energy per year, enough to power 100,000 homes.

Once construction is complete, the energy generated will contribute to the national electricity grid via the existing Cultana and Whyalla substations.

The project is also expected to play a part in GFG’s plans to modernize the Whyalla Steelworks, which is operated by GFG subsidiary Liberty Primary Metals Australia (L{MA}, by supplying it with low-cost renewable energy.

Although the steelworks will not have a direct behind-the-meter connection to the solar farm, the company has said it will have contracts in place that will effectively utilize the financial hedge that comes out of the solar farm.

Simec’s confirmation that it is preparing to commence construction of the Cultana Solar Farm follows the SA government’s announcement earlier this month it would provide a $50 million grant to co-finance efficiency projects at the Whyalla Steelworks.

LPMA steel executive managing director Jason Schell said the grant will fund approved projects to improve Whyalla’s productivity and efficiency, to be matched on a “dollar for dollar” basis by LPMA.

“The objective of the $50 million grant is to contribute to approved projects that aim to improve the productivity and efficiency of the Whyalla’s Integrated Steelworks,” he said.

https://www.pv-magazine.com/2022/03/23/ ... olar-farm/

[PeFe]

The 1414 solar/battery project in Port Augusta has lost its partners but 1414's management say they are searching for new investors.

From In Daily

SA solar project dealt another blow

BUSINESS

Plans to build a solar farm and battery energy system on the ill-fated Aurora site near Port Augusta have been dealt another blow with major investors into the project withdrawing their support.


A concept drawing of the 1414 Degrees Aurora site.

Adelaide-based thermal energy storage company 1414 Degrees announced in 2019 it would buy the SolarReserve site, which had State Government development approval for a 70 MW solar PV farm and 150 MW of generation from a concentrated solar thermal plant.

1414 Degrees also has approval to build a 140MW/280MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) on the site. The project includes a connection to the adjacent 275kV transmission line operated by ElectraNet.

The company entered into an Exclusivity Memorandum of Understanding with Ovida Infrastructure in December to explore partnering in the development of the Aurora Energy Project.

Ovida is a 100 per cent owned subsidiary of Jemena Group, one of Australia’s largest owners and operators of energy infrastructure with over $11 billion of assets under management and approximately 2,500 employees.

Jemena is owned by State Grid of China (60 per cent) and Singapore Power (40 per cent).

In a statement to the ASX on Tuesday, 1414 Degrees said Ovida had decided to halt its investment in the project and the MoU had been terminated.

1414 Degrees will receive a $100,000 termination payment and retain all intellectual property generated since the execution of the MoU.

All past payments made by Ovida, including the initial $300,000 paid on signing the MoU are retained by 1414 Degrees.

“This follows a general decision from Jemena to focus on investing in its existing assets as opposed to the unregulated electricity market,” 1414 Degrees said in its statement to the market yesterday.

The company said it was still committed to the project and would search for new investors.

The initial focus is the establishment of a connection agreement and development of a 140MW BESS with a final investment decision for construction targeted in late 2022.

1414 Degrees chief executive officer Matt Squire said the joint work with Ovida in recent months had only reinforced the Melrose Park company’s belief in the project.

“Aurora is a world-class renewable energy site that is at an advanced stage following several years of investment and approvals,” he said.

“We will be continuing with its development through our fully owned subsidiary Silicon Aurora and also engaging with other investors seeking large-scale and attractive returns from storage and renewable energy projects in South Australia.”

Despite the setback, renewable projects in the region are powering ahead.

The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) last month granted approval for the Port Augusta Renewable Energy Park to begin exporting power.

The 317MW site about 8km from Port Augusta is set to become Australia’s largest hybrid energy producer in the coming months with its 210MW wind and 107MW solar components go live.

The Aurora project aims to develop a long-term renewable energy site delivering reliable electricity to the region and national energy grid.

The former Weatherill government announced in August 2017 that Californian company SolarReserve would build the 150MW molten salt solar thermal plant about 30km north of Port Augusta.

At the time it was touted as the biggest plant of its kind in the world with the ability to supply about 5 per cent of the state’s power.

Work on the $650 million plant was scheduled to begin in 2018 and be completed in 2020 after the state government awarded it a contract to supply its power needs.

But the project fell over in 2019 after SolarReserve failed to secure finance for the project.

1414 Degrees has faced several major challenges since listing on the ASX in September 2018

The company’s share price nosedived in June 2020 following a review, which showed its initial thermal energy storage system, known as TESS and being trialled at SA Water’s Glenelg Wastewater Treatment Plant, was less efficient and reliable than previously forecast.

In June 2021, the company formally parted ways with its managing director Jamie Summons after just six months, following an investigation into allegations of workplace misconduct.

However, a partnership struck with Australia’s largest natural gas company Woodside Petroleum in October last year to develop its latest renewable energy storage technology was a welcome boost for the company.

Under the deal, Woodside will contribute up to $2m to the 1 MWh SiBox demonstration module on the completion of specific project milestones by 1414 Degrees.

The SiBox technology stores intermittent renewable energy using silicon to produce reliable, clean, high-temperature heat, replacing the need to burn coal or gas.

1414 Degrees’ share price fell almost 10 per cent following Monday’s announcement about the Aurora project but recovered most of the lost ground yesterday to close at $0.085.

In February the company announced a net loss for the six months ending December 31 of $3.25 million.

https://indaily.com.au/news/business/20 ... ther-blow/