Waratah 850 MW Super Battery
GHD was engaged by EnergyCo to provide technical advice relating to the preliminary design and procurement for the Waratah Super Battery (WSB) on the New South Wales (NSW) Central Coast. GHD also managed and delivered the Environmental Impact Statement for the project. The 850-megawatt (MW) battery is a key part of the NSW Government's renewable energy strategy and is designed to help support the network with the retirement of the Eraring coal generator, the single largest power station on Australia’s national grid, which is expected to be decommissioned in 2025.
WSB is the first project developed under the Electricity Infrastructure Investment Act 2020 as a Priority Transmission Infrastructure Project. The WSB is designed to be the biggest energy “shock absorber” in the world, reserving and deploying battery power to support the NSW electricity grid when triggered by a contingency event. As a System Integrity Protection Scheme, the WSB is not only dedicated to supporting the transmission grid in a power outage event –such as bushfires or lightning strikes—but also supports Australia’s energy transition from fossil-fueled generators to large-scale low-carbon renewable energy generators by unlocking latent capacity in the transmission system. The WSB will help protect the reliability and security of the NSW electricity grid between Hunter, Sydney, and Illawarra.
Enabling rapid project delivery
As the largest of its kind in the southern hemisphere, the WSB boasts a remarkable total capacity of 850 MW/1680 MWh (storage). It is contracted to deliver a minimum standby network capacity of 700 MW/1400 MWh to the grid. The GHD team provided the design of the grid connection, including consultation with utility providers, site layout and civil design, battery and technical specifications, site configuration alternatives and technical advice in the procurement and tender evaluation process for service providers. GHD also managed and delivered the Environmental Impact Statement for the project.
Working collaboratively with the client and drawing upon international resources, the team contributed innovative, multidisciplinary solutions, which enabled the delivery of the EIS scope within an ambitious timeframe of just eight months. Through iteration between the design, technical and environment teams, GHD was also able to help minimise potential impacts associated with biodiversity and bushfire risk. These efforts streamlined the path through planning approval.
Innovative projects like this one are critical to supporting our state’s transition to net zero as soon as possible. This is a world-leading project being delivered here in New South Wales. The Waratah Super Battery is an excellent example of how our state can deliver clean, efficient and innovative infrastructure that benefits homes and businesses across NSW.”