$1B worth of contracts awarded for WA big batteries

The Western Australian Government has awarded more than $1 billion in contracts for works on battery storage systems in Kwinana and Collie.

The new battery energy storage systems in Kwinana and Collie are set to provide cleaner, reliable and affordable energy for Western Australia.

Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL) has been contracted to supply about 300 EnerC Plus, containerised liquid-cooling battery systems for Kwinana Battery Stage Two, and about 650 EnerC Plus for Collie.

Power Electronics will deliver 72 inverters for the Kwinana battery and 160 inverters for the Collie battery.

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Kwinana Battery Stage Two will provide 200 megawatts of power with 800 megawatt hours of energy storage. Construction started on Kwinana Battery Stage Two in June and is estimated for completion at the end of 2024, supporting 160 jobs. The Collie battery will be the biggest in WA providing 500 megawatts with 2000 megawatt hours of storage. It will create about 500 jobs during the peak of construction.

WA Premier Roger Cook said the contracts represent a considerable investment in cleaner and more reliable energy sources.

“Battery energy storage systems will play a key role in our decarbonisation plans, storing excess renewable energy generated in the day and discharging during times of high demand,” Cook said.

Energy Minister Bill Johnston congratulated Synergy on securing the partnerships. The Government owned Synergy provides 52 per cent of the electricity sold to households and business customers in the South West Interconnected System (SWIS) and about 55 per cent of the contestable gas load in the industrial and commercial market.