Projects

Muswellbrook BESS

Muswellbrook Battery Energy Storage

The proposed Muswellbrook Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) is a 150MW stand-alone battery to be located adjacent to Ausgrid’s Muswellbrook Substation in the Upper Hunter region of NSW.

Once operational, the Muswellbrook BESS will provide a range of electricity and power market services – supporting Firm Power’s mission to power the clean energy transition.

The Muswellbrook BESS forms part of the Hunter Dispatchable Energy System (HDES) – a distributed stand-alone battery system for the Hunter region, designed to balance the grid and support the performance and future uptake of renewable energy in NSW.

The Environmental Impact Statement for the Muswellbrook BESS project and supporting documents can be viewed on the NSW Major Projects Planning Portal

DEVELOPMENT STATUS

The Muswellbrook BESS obtained development approval in July 2023, following assessment by the NSW Department of Planning and Environment. Grid connection studies are currently underway. The development phase of the project is expected to complete in early 2025.

SITE

Approximately 1.5ha of land has been secured immediately adjacent to the Muswellbrook Substation. The land is SP2 Infrastructure and supports the construction and operations of a battery energy storage system.

PLANNING

The project completed its assessment phase with the NSW Department Planning and Environment, successfully obtaining its development approval and conditions of consent in July 2023.

GRID

Grid connection studies have been completed and issued to Ausgrid for review. An offer to connect for the grid studies is expected to be issued in late 2024, enabling the project to commence to construction. The Muswellbrook BESS is situated within the Hunter Central Coast Renewable Energy Zone.

Construction & Operations

Once all necessary approvals, agreements and authorisations have been obtained, construction activities for the Muswellbrook BESS project can commence.

Construction is expected to take up to 18 months and involves site preparation, delivery and installation, and testing and commissioning stages. Preparation of the site includes civil works to make it suitable for the BESS equipment, such as earthworks, drainage and foundations. Following this, electrical equipment such as battery module enclosures, inverters, transformers, switchgear and ancillary systems are delivered to site, installed and connected. The last step in construction is the testing and commissioning process where the BESS’s installation is validated and made ready for operation.

The BESS will be designed to operate for greater than a 20-year useful life. During this period operational work will generally involve monitoring, testing and maintenance of equipment as well as deliveries, waste removal and other general site maintenance (such as care of groundcover). During this period the site will be monitored and controlled remotely with staff and contractors coming to site periodically for the other activities.

At the BESS end of life, the site will either be reconditioned or remediated. This involves the removal of all above-ground infrastructure and any works needed to return the land to a safe, clean and stable state.

Community

The Muswellbrook BESS will bring new sustainable technology to the local area and create construction jobs, opportunities for local suppliers and ongoing project roles. Firm Power is interested in talking to members of the community who have an interest in energy storage or who would like to discuss education, provision of services or employment opportunities that may exist in the future.

If you have any questions or concerns about the project, or would just like to discuss the project, you can contact our team directly by filling out the following form or calling 1800 749 338.

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