The first stage of the Bungama Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) near Port Pirie in South Australia has begun commercial operations, adding 150 megawatts (MW) / 300 megawatt-hours (MWh) of fast-responding storage to one of the world’s most renewables-heavy grids. The milestone marks the completion of the opening stage of a larger multi-stage development and brings a significant new flexible asset onto the National Electricity Market (NEM).
Owned and operated by Revera Energy, a global energy-transition platform backed by the Carlyle Group, the project sits roughly 6 kilometres east of Port Pirie and around 220 kilometres north of Adelaide — a region with the highest penetration of renewable generation in mainland Australia. The battery is designed to soak up excess solar and wind output and discharge it when demand rises or renewable generation falls, helping to firm a grid that regularly runs on some of the world’s highest levels of variable renewable energy.
How the battery supports the grid
The Bungama system is built to respond to rapid swings in grid conditions with millisecond-level precision. It provides a suite of essential grid services — including frequency control ancillary services, fast frequency response and energy arbitrage — that help keep the network stable as coal generation recedes and variable renewables expand. Connected at 275 kV to ElectraNet’s Bungama substation, the site is positioned to feed stored energy back into the NEM during periods of peak demand or low renewable output.
The first stage moved through its commissioning ahead of schedule, completing each of three Hold Point Tests — the Australian Energy Market Operator’s mandated, staged commissioning approvals — in quick succession to progress from limited operation to full commercial output. That allowed the project to reach commercial operations on schedule for 2026, having begun construction in late 2024.
Part of a larger South Australian build-out
Stage one is the opening phase of a development approved to grow to 250 MW / 500 MWh, and the project forms part of a much wider renewable-energy push in the state’s Mid-North. Revera — which inherited the project from original developer Amp Energy when the platform was formed in 2025 — is developing three hybrid projects in South Australia at Bungama, Robertstown and Yoorndoo Ilga that together could deliver up to 2,700 MWh of battery storage and up to 1,000 MW of solar generation. A solar facility has also been proposed alongside the Bungama battery.
The asset arrives as South Australia pushes toward a target of net 100% renewable energy by 2027, a goal that makes large-scale, fast-acting storage central to keeping the lights on as the grid leans ever harder on wind and solar. Bungama is part of a wave of grid-scale batteries coming online across the country, echoing projects such as the 150 MW / 300 MWh Riverina battery system — a sign of how quickly storage is being deployed to firm Australia’s renewable grid.
Delivery and technology
Technology group Wärtsilä supplied the battery system and will maintain it under a long-term service agreement, with the project becoming Wärtsilä’s fourth operational energy storage project in Australia and lifting its installed storage portfolio in the country beyond 6 GWh. The system uses Wärtsilä’s GridSolv Quantum High Energy technology — a high-density design with advanced safety architecture — orchestrated by the company’s GEMS platform, which manages real-time operation and rapid frequency response. South Australian firm Enerven served as Balance of Plant contractor, delivering the site’s electrical works alongside the ElectraNet grid connection.
“Bungama BESS is a cornerstone asset in Revera’s strategy to build the flexible infrastructure Australia needs for its clean energy future,” said Daniel Kim, Chief Executive Officer at Revera, adding that the project met the high technical and safety standards required for the grid.
Don Lee, Vice President, Global Operations at Wärtsilä Energy Storage, said the delivery showed “how storage can be deployed at pace to support regions operating at the frontier of the energy transition,” helping to stabilise the grid and deliver more secure, reliable energy for local communities.
Project Factsheet: Bungama BESS (Stage 1)
Project: Bungama Battery Energy Storage System, Stage 1
Location: Bungama, near Port Pirie, South Australia (~220 km north of Adelaide)
Owner / operator: Revera Energy (backed by the Carlyle Group)
Stage 1 capacity: 150 MW / 300 MWh
Full project (approved): Up to 250 MW / 500 MWh (multi-stage)
Status: Commercial operations commenced (announced 30 June 2026); construction began late 2024
Grid connection: 275 kV to ElectraNet’s Bungama substation, into the National Electricity Market
Technology supplier: Wärtsilä — GridSolv Quantum High Energy, GEMS control platform, long-term service agreement
Balance of Plant contractor: Enerven
Transmission network: ElectraNet
Grid services: Frequency control ancillary services, fast frequency response, energy arbitrage
Design life: Around 25 years
Wider context: Part of Revera’s three-project SA portfolio (Bungama, Robertstown, Yoorndoo Ilga) totalling up to 2,700 MWh storage and 1,000 MW solar; supports SA’s net 100% renewables by 2027 target
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