BlackRock-backed battery storage company Akaysha Energy has been selected to build a ‘super battery’ in Australia’s most populous state of New South Wales.
A partnership with the US investment giant began in August after BlackRock invested A$1 billion (US$701 million) in a Melbourne-based energy company.
The company already has nine projects across Australia, including the 1,600-megawatt Orana Battery in Wellington, Midwest NSW, which can store around eight hours of electricity.
The state energy minister has called the Waratah Super Battery the “largest network battery” in the southern hemisphere. The battery will be built on the site of the Mummorra Lake Power Station, about 100 kilometers north of Sydney.
Nick Carter, managing director of Akaysha, said the company won the project thanks to a talented team.
“The team itself is made up of experienced industry professionals who have previously worked on many battery projects,” he said in a comment obtained. ESD news“Throughout the process, BlackRock provided excellent support.”
Meanwhile, New South Wales Energy Minister Matt Keane said the superbattery would be a “shock absorber” for the grid, providing 700 megawatts of standby capacity when wind and solar farms aren’t generating. rice field.
“The Waratah Super Battery will drive up to A$1 billion of private investment in new energy storage and associated network upgrades, creating over 100 jobs in the Hunter and Central Coast regions,” Keene said in a statement. says.
“The battery will allow electricity consumers in Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong to access more energy from existing generators while new transmission connections are being developed.”
The battery is expected to make up for lost capacity due to the August 2025 shutdown of the Elering coal-fired power plant.
The New South Wales government is one of many Australian state authorities to announce ambitious climate change policies aimed at decarbonizing the economy.
NSW aims to reach net zero by 2050 and has policies to encourage the spread of electric vehicles and the development of hydrogen.
Is it worth it?
But concerns have been raised that the billions (or trillions) needed to build new renewable energy sources and transmission infrastructure may not outweigh the real benefits for homes and businesses.
“What impact will such a major restructuring of the entire system have on electricity prices, and thus the cost of living, and Australia’s productivity and competitiveness? Gas engineer Peter Castle wrote in The Epoch Times:
“Replacing generational capacity with storage capacity is a good thing in theory, but the required storage capacity is enormous, and the technology choices that can achieve it are unknown.”
At the same time, some experts say climate change advocates, including scientists and media commentators, misrepresent the state of the environment to support their agenda.
California-based eco-modernist Michael Shellenberger says the environment is, in fact, in the best shape it has ever been.
He said the Great Barrier Reef has more coral than ever before in 36 years. At the same time, the area of land burned by forest fires has decreased by 25% globally since 2003. This is the size of the state of Texas.
“The death rate from natural disasters has plummeted. There are four times as many people in the world as there were 100 years ago. In the United States, the death toll has dropped by about 90%,” he told CPAC Australia.
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Daniel Y. Teng is based in Sydney. His focus is on national politics such as federal politics, the COVID-19 response and Australia-China relations. Any tips? Please contact [email protected]