Darlington Point's 150 megawatt storage site a boon for NSW

Having employed 300 people during construction and expected to power thousands of homes and businesses, Federation Asset Management and Edify Energy have announced the 150 megawatt Riverina Energy Storage System is now operational.

The battery's output is sufficient to supply 240,000 homes with two hours of electricity at peak times, consisting of three independent but co-located units, with output contracted to Shell Energy and Energy Australia for the next 10 years.

Riverina BESS will also provide critical stabilising services to the transmission grid due to the advanced features of Tesla Megapack systems, one of the most cutting-edge battery systems in the electricity market.

Edify chief executive, John Cole, said the new Darlington Point system 'elevates the playing field.'

"The potential for battery storage technology is immense," Mr Cole said.

"It is a key part of the clean energy transition and goes hand-in-glove with harnessing and firming Australia's abundant renewable resources.

READ MORE

"This innovative firming technology irons out the variable output of wind and solar, delivering affordable and reliable electricity to NSW homes and businesses."

With Darlington Point serving as the second development in the Riverina for Edify, Mr Cole said contributing to the long-term prosperity of the area is one of the most rewarding parts of the job.

"It is very satisfying to see the positive impact of these projects during construction, including injecting millions of dollars of direct and indirect economic benefit into the local community," he said.

"Rapid and urgent acceleration of renewable energy is critical if we are going to reach our carbon reduction targets. Advanced power electronics technology is key to addressing our energy challenges."

Federation co-founder Stephen Panizza, said the need for energy storage is becoming ever more pressing.

"Advanced grid-forming batteries like the Riverina BESS are critical to extracting the maximum capacity from our existing grid infrastructure, allowing timely integration of additional wind and solar generation while our grid infrastructure is upgraded," he said.

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) provided $6.6 million in funding for the project, while the state government provided $6.5 million for the battery as part of its $75 million Emerging Energy Program.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: