Securing our energy future
A milestone has been reached for the Northern Territory’s $45 million big battery – known as the Darwin-Katherine Battery Energy Storage System (DK BESS).
All 192 batteries, each weighing 3.5 tonnes, have been installed for the 35 MVA BESS, with construction and pre-commissioning also complete. Territory Generation is continuing to work collaboratively with key stakeholders to begin rigorous testing before the BESS comes online later this year.
Today, the Northern Territory has also announced a second large scale battery storage project.
To further support our grid, expressions of interest were opened for the DK BESS 2 project. Assessment of submissions is underway to understand industry capability, and successful applicants will be asked to put forward a proposal for the project.
The DK BESS 2 project will see large scale batteries distributed across locations on the Darwin-Katherine power system to boost capability and assure the security of our power grid.
The project will deliver fuel savings and enable more solar renewable energy penetration by providing essential frequency and voltage control services. Commissioning is targeted from 2026 onwards.
Together, these two BESS projects satisfy Darwin-Katherine Electricity System Plan requirements for the installation of up to 105 MW of high-specification batteries.
A major part of the Darwin-Katherine Electricity System Plan, the first DK BESS is forecast to deliver cost savings of around $9.8 million per year, paying for itself in about five years from connection to the grid, and delivering annual carbon emission savings of 58,000 tonnes.
