Allens has advised TransGrid on its newly announced Wallgrove Grid Battery, a $61.9 million, 50 megawatt/75 megawatt hour large-scale, grid-connected lithium ion battery to be constructed at TransGrid’s Wallgrove substation in western Sydney.
The battery will be designed, constructed and maintained by Tesla, with dispatch control provided to Infigen as part of a 10-year services agreement for energy arbitrage and Frequency Control Ancillary Services. Allens advised TransGrid on all aspects of the arrangements with both Tesla and Infigen.
Jointly funded by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) as part of its Advancing Renewables Program and the NSW Government as part of its Emerging Energy Program, the project is intended to prove the effectiveness of large-scale battery storage for managing synthetic inertia and fast frequency response services as Australia transitions to a generation mix with higher concentrations of renewable energy.
If successful, the Wallgrove Grid Battery will be instrumental in providing grid stability to the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Energy Market.
‘We are delighted to have advised TransGrid on its first grid battery project,’ said lead Partner Andrew Mansour.
‘As a first of its kind for NSW, the Wallgrove Grid Battery is likely to prove an important milestone on Australia’s road to renewables. It is particularly rewarding as a lawyer to work on pioneering projects like this.’
Allens’ advice places it at the forefront of renewables advisory, with the firm continuing to advise on large-scale battery developments as they gain a foothold in Australia. The firm recently advised on the Snowy Hydro 2.0 expansion scheme, Lyon Infrastructure as the initial sponsor/developer of Lakeland Solar/Battery Project, and ARENA in respect of the development by ECOULT Energy of Ultrabattery technology and the financing of the Hornsdale Solar Reserve expansion project.
