Shell Energy is making an impact on the Australian energy landscape through an exciting range of projects – from the development of more renewable generation to investment in the grid-scale storage to support it.
Electrification is critical for decarbonisation and our team is working collaboratively with key partners to help sectors, industrial users and businesses meet their ambitions for a lower-carbon future.
Grid-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) have a vital role to play in the journey to a lower-carbon future, helping to address the intermittency of renewables like solar and wind, and assisting the goal of making electricity supplies more affordable and resilient.
Macquarie Asset Management’s Green Investment Group (GIG) and Shell Energy Operations (Shell Energy) are partnering to deliver a utility-scale battery energy storage system (BESS) in Cranbourne, Victoria.
Once fully operational, the 200MW / 400MWh Rangebank BESS will have the capacity to power the equivalent of 80,000 homes across Victoria for an hour during peak periods.
The project, to be built on two hectares of land within the Rangebank Business Park in Melbourne’s southeast, has reached financial close and is expected to be completed in late 2024.
Developed by GIG and Shell Energy, the project will increase Victoria’s renewable energy hosting capacity while providing essential system services aiming to support the safe, secure and reliable operation of Australia’s power system. Through an offtake agreement, Shell Energy will have access to 100% of the battery’s offtake over a 20-year period.
The Riverina Energy Storage System 1 is a 60MW/120MWh battery, located in the Riverina region, near Darlington Point south-west of Griffith, NSW.
Shell Energy was pleased to select Edify as its battery energy storage partner in this collaborative approach. Shell Energy holds full operational rights to the 60MW battery, which is helping to build a stronger and more resilient power system in NSW. The Riverina Energy Storage System 1 is fully operational as of October 2023.
The Riverina Energy Storage System 1 is one of three independent but co-located projects on the site. The battery was developed to meet the requirements of the NSW Government, which Shell Energy also has a 10-year retail contract agreement to provide the State with 1.8TWh p.a. power for sites including schools, community and medical facilities.
Image supplied by Edify and published with permission.
Shell Energy and AMPYR Australia are jointly developing one of the largest energy storage projects in NSW, supporting renewable generation and contributing to improved reliability for the grid and consumers.
The 500MW/1000MWh battery located in Wellington, Central West NSW will connect to the adjacent TransGrid Wellington substation, adjacent to the Central West Orana Renewable Energy Zone (Central West Orana REZ). It will complement nearby existing renewable energy generation assets as well as the proposed additional generation to be delivered as part of the Central West Orana REZ.
The Wellington BESS will smooth out fluctuations in electricity supply from these new intermittent power sources, providing system security benefits and other network services.
Subject to securing all relevant approvals, authorisations and financing, construction is expected to commence in mid-2023.
Shell Energy has acquired the development rights for a 500MW/1000MWh Battery Energy Storage System project, located within the former Wallerawang Power Station site, near Lithgow in Central West NSW.
Development approvals are already in place, and the site provides access to important infrastructure. While there is further work required to get to a Final Investment Decision, once built, the BESS will be connected to the adjacent 330kV Wallerawang Substation.
Batteries have a vital role to play in the energy transition, addressing the intermittency of renewables and providing system stability and delivering this project will be an important step forward in securing the energy future of New South Wales.
Shell Energy is proud to work with the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) on a new initiative to to implement energy load control at 40 commercial and industrial customer sites, to demonstrate flexible demand capacity.
The project, known as ‘Commercialising Smart Energy Hubs’, involves a whole-of-site solution that optimises the energy ecosystem including; heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), refrigeration, electric vehicle (EV) charging control, and onsite solar PV and storage.
The pilot program will recruit shopping centres, supermarkets and a refrigeration distribution centre across Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria to demonstrate an estimated 21.5 MW of flexible demand capacity.
The Kondinin Energy project is located approximately 245km east of Perth and comprises various stages of 370MW of developments across wind, solar and battery energy storage system (BESS) assets, including:
Acquisition of the Kondinin Energy project was announced in in 2022, as a 50/50 joint partnership between Shell Energy and Foresight Group.
Kondinin is an advanced development with land and development approvals in place. The project is in a strong renewables resource area and close to the existing Western Power 220kV transmission line, through which it will connect to the grid. Pending final investment decision, construction of the Stage 1 Wind farm is anticipated to occur in 2024.
Shell has applied for an offshore feasibility license in the Gippsland Region of Victoria to assess the development of a 2.3 gigawatt (GW) offshore wind project, off the coast of South Gippsland.
