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Two batteries 10 times the size of Powercor’s Buninyong energy storage facility are set to be built in the Ballarat region in an effort to stablilise power in western Victoria ahead of summer. The batteries will be the largest of their kind in the country until the mammoth Telsa-built energy storage site is completed early next year. The $25 million state government development which is believed to be destined for Warrenheip was initially due to be completed by no later than January next year, however a government spokesperson told The Courier the project was still in the tender phase. While a time frame for the 20-megawatt batteries’ delivery is expected in coming weeks, construction was initially anticipated to begin by October. “We are continuing to assess bids put forward by proponents, with a view to finalising soon,” the spokesperson said in a statement. Combined the two batteries are expected to deliver 100 megawatt hours of power in time for the high demand summer months. A single 20-megawatt battery could provide enough energy to power a city the size of Ballarat for up to four hours during a period of peak demand while avoiding outages. A brief provided by the state government to potential bidders said energy storage “will help enhance system security, resilience and reliability, especially in peak demand periods”. The brief demanded the batteries be located in the west of the state, to provide stability in during blackouts and periods of peak demand. The development comes as Ballarat seeks to establish itself as the renewable energy capital of Victoria, with a new wind and solar maintenance school run by Federation University set to be up and running by March next year. Committee for Ballarat chief executive Melanie Robertson said the batteries would further enhance Ballarat’s reputation as a hub for progressive energy solutions. All up western Victoria has more than 2800 megawatts in wind farm developments which have been given the green light by the state government but are yet to be developed. The region also boasts existing wind farms at Mount Mercer, Ararat and Waubra. “This will be the first time that the government themselves have invested in large scale battery technology and they’ve identified the west of Victoria as at risk and that’s why they have such tight time frames,” Ms Robertson said. “For us it’s another piece of the jigsaw in becoming a centre for renewables because we’ve already got huge wind resources on our doorstep.” The project comes as the government grapples with maintaining power stability following the closure of the Hazelwood Power Station earlier this year, which contributed nearly a quarter of the state’s energy. While it’s uncertain how much space the power storage facilities will need, a similar sized battery built by Tesla in California occupies 0.6 hectares of land. The government says batteries will become an increasingly critical part of maintaining reliable power during the shift away from fossil fuels towards renewables, with storage helping to ensure power remains consistent when wind and solar energy are not contributing to the grid.

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