Neoen launches construction of 200 MW / 400 MWh Blyth Battery in South Australia

Neoen provided notice to proceed in late December 2022 to a consortium of Elecnor and NHOA, signalling the start of construction for its 200 MW / 400 MWh Blyth Battery in South Australia
Blyth Battery will mainly be deployed to firm wind energy from Goyder South Stage 1 to deliver a 70 MW renewable energy baseload contract to BHP
With support from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency’s (ARENA) Large Scale Battery Storage Funding Round, the asset will be equipped with grid-forming inverter technology
Blyth Battery is Neoen’s fifth big battery in Australia, and takes the company’s overall Australian asset portfolio close to 3 GW in operation or under construction

Neoen (ISIN: FR0011675362, Ticker: NEOEN), one of the world’s leading producers of exclusively renewable energy, provided notice to proceed to a consortium of Elecnor (balance of plant contractor) and NHOA (battery storage specialist, Ticker: NHOA.PA) in late December 2022, signalling the start of construction for its 200 MW / 400 MWh Blyth Battery in the Mid North region of South Australia. The project is expected to start operating in 2025.

The battery will be located next to the Blyth West substation and will be connected to ElectraNet’s transmission network. In line with its develop-to-own business model, Neoen will be the long-term owner and operator of the asset.

Blyth Battery will mainly be deployed in combination with Neoen’s Goyder South Stage 1 wind farm to deliver 70 MW of renewable baseload energy to BHP, a world leading resources company. The energy will power BHP’s Olympic Dam operations in South Australia, one of the world’s most significant deposits of copper, gold and uranium.

As a result of support from ARENA’s recently announced Large Scale Battery Storage Funding Round, the asset will ultimately be equipped with grid-forming inverter technology, allowing it to provide essential system stability services traditionally provided by synchronous generation such as coal and gas.

Blyth Battery is Neoen’s fifth big battery in the National Electricity Market, bringing the company’s total Australian assets close to 3 GW in operation or under construction with its storage portfolio approaching 1 GW. Neoen is the country’s leading owner of big batteries, it already owns and operates the 300 MW / 450 MWh Victorian Big Battery and the 150 MW / 193.5 MWh Hornsdale Power Reserve, whilst its 100 MW / 200 MWh Capital Battery and 200 MW / 400 MWh Western Downs Battery are currently under construction.

Louis de Sambucy, Neoen Australia’s Managing Director, said: “We are thrilled to be starting construction of Blyth Battery and to be approaching 3 GW of assets in operation or under construction in Australia. We would like to thank NHOA and Elecnor for their hard work and commitment, and ARENA for their trust and support. We are particularly proud of our ability to combine Blyth Battery, Goyder South wind energy and our expertise in energy management to power BHP’s Olympic Dam with renewable baseload.”

Darren Miller, CEO of ARENA, added: “Battery storage is an essential technology in the transition to renewable energy, allowing us to smooth out variable generation and store electricity for when it’s needed. Next generation grid scale batteries will underpin this transition, with inverter technology that can maintain grid stability without fossil fuels.”

Xavier Barbaro, Neoen’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer concluded: “We are delighted to be building our second storage asset in South Australia, the state where we delivered the world’s first big battery back in 2017. Blyth Battery will play an essential role in providing 24/7 energy, serving as a template for future baseload contracts for our customers, both in Australia and in our other countries. Neoen is now operating at the GW scale in storage, making us one of the leading global players in batteries and one of the true accelerators of the energy transition.”