China Energy Storage Network News: According to foreign media reports, Australia’s largest power generator and retailer, AGL, recently stated that it has submitted a deployment plan one year after announcing that it will develop a large-scale independent deployment of battery energy storage projects in Victoria. It has been approved by the Victorian Government Department.
The company recently stated that the Victorian Ministry of Environment, Land, Water and Planning has approved the deployment plan for the 200MW/800MWh battery energy storage system.
AGL plans to deploy 200MW/800MWh battery energy storage system in LoyYang coal-fired power plant
This grid-scale battery energy storage system will be deployed at the LoyYang coal-fired power plant with an installed capacity of 2,225MW, which can obtain fuel directly from an adjacent coal mine.
AGL has evaluated the economics and feasibility of this energy storage project. The company is splitting its business units and plans to split its power generation business and retail business into two entities: Accel Energy will carry out power generation business, and AGL Australia will carry out energy retail, trading, storage and supply business.
The company said that if AGL makes a final investment decision that is conducive to advancing the project, the battery energy storage system deployed at the LoyYang coal-fired power plant will become a part of Accel Energy's investment portfolio.
This will be one of Australia’s largest battery energy storage projects. Its energy storage capacity is almost twice that of the Victoria Big Battery battery energy storage project (300MW/450MWh). The project is undergoing final testing and will begin commercial operations after the test. , Although AGL is about to begin construction of a larger project, that is, a 250MW/1,000MWh battery energy storage project deployed at the Torrance Island power station in South Australia.
AGL announced a goal in August 2020. By 2024, 34% of its electricity capacity will come from renewable energy power generation facilities and energy storage systems, including the 850MW energy storage system that needs to be deployed to participate in the Australian National Electricity Market (NEM). .
As early as 2017, the company’s leadership publicly stated that the combination of renewable energy power generation facilities and energy storage systems was used as an economically viable alternative to coal-fired power plants. And AGL is working hard to achieve the goal of net zero emissions by 2050.
In addition to deploying battery energy storage systems at the Torrance Power Station and the LoyYang coal-fired power plant, the company also plans to deploy two other large-scale energy storage projects in the Broken Hill and Hunter regions of New South Wales (NSW).
Marcus Brokhof, Chief Operating Officer of AGL, said: "As the largest operator of renewable energy assets listed on the Australian Securities Exchange, we focus on deploying more energy storage systems and increasing the generation of renewable energy to ensure that we Continue to provide reliable and affordable electricity to home and business users. The deployment of energy storage systems in our power plants provides rare and unique redevelopment opportunities because these power plants have existing land, roads and railways, and power infrastructure Facilities."
Brokhof said that the LoyYang coal-fired power plant will develop into an "integrated industrial energy center" and will create more local employment opportunities in the future.
