LIAM DURKIN
By LIAM DURKIN
THERE will hopefully be no doubting this Hazelwood’s ability to run over consecutive days. The Hazelwood Battery Energy Storage System (HBESS) was officially launched on Wednesday, June 14, heralding a new era and a new life for the former coal-fired power station. Minister for Energy and Resources Lily D’Ambrosio was on hand to unveil the plaque at the battery site, standing alongside industry partners from ENGIE, Eku Energy and Fluence. The collaboration between ENGIE, Eku and Fluence will see the Hazelwood battery have the capacity to power around 75,000 Victorian homes for one hour during the evening peak. A packed media attended the launch, as Minister D’Ambrosio reiterated the state government’s commitment to achieving 95 per cent renewable energy by 2035. “The Latrobe Valley has been the home of Victoria’s energy generation for decades, and new investment in technologies like energy storage will help solidify its role in our renewable energy future,” she said. “We’re leading the nation in our investment in battery and energy storage projects, from the biggest of big batteries to the smallest household units, which will all help us deliver more secure, affordable and renewable energy. “Our nation-leading energy storage targets are ensuring that Victoria continues to attract industry investment and collaboration opportunities like this.” The 150-megawatt capacity at Hazelwood will be added to the state’s grid – one of six big batteries as part of the Victorian Renewable Energy Target auction. Along with 95 per cent renewables by 2035, the state government is also aiming for at least 2.6 gigawatts of energy storage capacity by 2030, and at least 6.3 gigawatts by 2035. Hazelwood is the first retired coal-fired power station to host a battery storage system in Australia. Eku Energy chief investment officer, Daniel Burrows said the system worked to ensure energy would always be available, regardless of weather conditions. “In this particular case, what the battery will do is charge and store energy when energy’s abundant,” he explained. “When you come home from work say, you’ll have energy available, so when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing, it makes that energy available for you. “In addition to that, what this energy system will do is also provide services to the grid to make sure it will operate safely and reliably.” Eku has worked on similar projects to the Hazelwood battery in Cranbourne and on the Canberra Big Battery in partnership with the ACT government Physically, the battery site features a field of box-like structures known as ‘cubes’. Each cube has a cooling system and battery rack, as well as fire detection technology. As key stakeholders of the Hazelwood Power Station, ENGIE chief executive Rik De Buyserie said it was an exciting future for the site. “ENGIE’s delivery of the Hazelwood battery is part of our commitment to building long-term, reliable assets that play a key role in the future of Australia’s energy transition,” he said.” “With its access to transmission and available space at site, Hazelwood is the perfect location for an asset that can grow in depth and duration, increasing the hosting capacity for renewables.” While there is a new battery at the power station, there is still a big hole in the ground where the former mine site was located. Addressing the elephant in the room, Mr De Buyserie said there was still a number of boxes to tick dealing with the mine void. “The rehabilitation process is ongoing, we are currently in the EES (environmental effects statement) process with environmental authorities to see what will be the final layout and design of the rehabilitation, which will take a couple of years,” he said. “We are convinced that the best way to stabilise the mine is to fill it with water, the more water there is there, the better it is for stability, that’s rain water or the river diversion.” Those driving along the Princes Highway might have noticed sprinklers running in the mine. Mr De Buyserie moved to reassure this was simply for fire prevention.
