Australia is prepping a giant new weapon dubbed the “Waratah Super Battery.” An expansive grid balancing act that will be desperately needed when the huge Eraring coal generator unplugs in 2025. This beast is set to be the largest battery in Australia at a whopping 850 MW / 1680 MWh capacity.
The Australian Energy Regulator has kept secret the all-important financial details around payments to the battery owners, Akaysha Energy, despite the massive costs ultimately falling on public shoulders. Stranger still, even the identities of contracted generators who are part of the complex plan remain obscured.
So why all the secrecy? This powerful battery has an urgent stabilizing role on the cards, ready to respond instantly if transmission lines fail or faults occur that could otherwise cause widespread blackouts. Acting like a giant “shock absorber” for the grid, sophisticated communication systems will tell our future battery behemoth precisely when to charge into action.
For comparison, contracts and budgets for similar grid-stabilizing batteries in other Australian states are openly published. And it remains unclear whether the project economics would shift if Eraring’s closure date changes, as NSW is currently exploring.
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Australia’s Giant Waratah Super Battery: A $700 Million Grid Shock Absorber Shrouded in Secrecy
You have to wonder – as electricity bill payers funding this vision, would the average Aussie not want transparency on what these emergency grid services will actually cost? What are they trying to hide?
Creative large-scale battery solutions like the Waratah Super Battery are only growing in importance as Australia transitions away from fossil fuels. Renewables are the future. But when public funds prop up private megaprojects that serve the public good, disclosure and accountability should be non-negotiable.
The powers that be need to realize that aftershocks from this secrecy could linger. When mammoth bills come due, folks will remember the missing details. They may even demand the giant-sized transparency this ‘shock absorber’ itself lacked.
For now, the hush-hush budgeting around Australia’s battery behemoth will keep tensions high – even as construction charges on behind the scenes. The Waratah Super Battery completion period is 2025. It better perform miracles worthy of every secret dollar. Because all eyes will be on the shadowy giant that dared rock the boat to keep Australia lit.
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