Waratah Super Battery is an 850 MW/1,680 MWh utility‐scale facility built on the former Munmorah Power Station site on New South Wales’ Central Coast, Australia. It is developed by Akaysha Energy in partnership with the Energy Corporation of NSW (EnergyCo). The battery is designed to act as a “shock absorber” for the grid. It will also enable more renewable power to flow and support electricity transmission stability. Waratah also features as part of the region’s transition from coal to renewables. Waratah Super Battery began partial operations in mid-2025. Full operation is expected later in the year. Akaysha Energy also recently reached financial close on Elaine battery storage project in Victoria – its first in the state.
Project Factsheet
Location: Former Munmorah coal-fired power station site, Central Coast, New South Wales. This is 100 km north of Sydney.
Developer: Akaysha Energy
Capacity:
- Active power: 850 MW
- Energy storage: 1,680 MWh
Status: Partial operations commenced with 350 MW/700 MWh online. Full capacity expected later in 2025.
Estimated Investment: Over A$1 billion of private investment and public-sector support.
Partners:
- Transgrid as network operator for project and for control system.
- BESS hardware provider: Powin for 2,592 “Centipede” modules.
- Power conversion systems by EKS Energy, now part of Hitachi Energy.
Site Area: Repurposes industrial land at a decommissioned coal-power site. Also adjacent to existing transmission and substation infrastructure.
Key Dates:
- Sept 2022: Declared Critical State Significant Infrastructure by NSW Govt.
- May 2023: Construction start.
- October 2024: Construction completed.
- August 2025: Partial commissioning with 350 MW/700 MWh online.
- Late 2025: Full capacity expected.
Waratah Super Battery: Australia’s Giant $700 Million “Shock Absorber”
Reported December 19, 2023 – 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.
Also Read:Glenellen Solar Farm Receives NSW Development Approval
Australia’s $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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