Neoen, now fully controlled by Brookfield, has committed to building the third stage of its Western Downs battery project near Chinchilla in Queensland. The expansion will add 305 megawatts of power and four hours of storage to the existing facility. Neoen is a renewable energy company that develops and operates solar, wind, and storage projects. The company aims to accelerate the transition to sustainable energy.
Tesla and UGL have been given the green light to proceed as the battery supplier and construction contractor, respectively. This follows the completion of the second stage of the battery, which increased the site’s capacity to 540MW with two hours of storage. The financial details of the project have not been disclosed.
The third phase of the Western Downs project will incorporate ‘grid-forming’ capabilities, enhancing the power grid’s stability when it becomes operational in the summer of 2027-2028. This advancement aims to decrease the reliance on coal power. Neoen has secured a new ‘virtual’ battery contract with Engie to support the third-stage expansion.
Neoen also holds battery contracts with AGL Energy and Shell Energy related to the second phase of the project, along with a separate deal with Engie. Once the third stage is complete, the battery will have a total power capacity of 845 megawatts and 2.3 gigawatt-hours of storage.
