Neoen to start building its fifth big battery in Australia
French renewables company Neoen will start building the 200 MW / 400 MwH Blyth Battery in South Australia. It is Neoen’s fifth big battery in Australia’s National Electricity Market.
NHOA Energy and Elecnor will build the Blyth Battery on behalf of Neoen. The battery will be paired with Neoen’s 412 MW Goyder South Stage 1 wind farm. It will deliver 70 MW of renewable energy to power BHP’s Olympic Dam operations in South Australia. The battery will be next to the Blyth West substation and connected to ElectraNet’s transmission network. It is expected to start operating in 2025.
‘We are delighted to be building our second storage asset in South Australia, the state where we delivered the world’s first big battery in 2017,’ says Xavier Barbaro, Neoen’s Chairman and CEO.
‘Blyth Battery will play an essential role in providing 24/7 energy. It will serve as a template for future baseload contracts for our customers, both in Australia and in other countries.’
The largest renewables project in South Australia
Goyder South Stage 1 is the first stage of Neoen’s flagship Goyder Renewables Zone. It is a hybrid wind, solar and storage project in South Australia’s mid-north region. The wind farm is being built by Elecnor and GE Renewable Energy.
Goyder South has received development approval for 1200 MW of wind generation, 600 MW of solar generation and 900 MW of battery storage capacity. It is South Australia’s largest renewables project. It will create over 400 construction jobs and 12 full-time permanent positions.
A leader in clean energy investments in Australia
Neoen has invested more than A$3 billion to date in Australian renewables since 2012. It has 17 large-scale renewable energy projects in operation or under construction. Around 35–40% of Neoen’s global installed capacity is in Australia.
Neoen is Australia’s leading owner of big batteries. It owns and operates the 300 MW / 450 MWh Victorian Big Battery and the 150 MW / 193.5 MWh Hornsdale Power Reserve in South Australia. In addition to the Blyth Battery, it is building the 100 MW / 200 MWh Capital Battery in the Australian Capital Territory and the 200 MW / 400 MWh Western Downs Battery in Queensland.
Find out more about Neoen’s operations in Australia.
How Austrade helped
Neoen has worked with Austrade for several years. For the Goyder South Stage 1 wind farm project, Austrade:
- advised on Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) processes
- organised introductions to potential off-takers and partners
- facilitated meetings with senior government officials.
Austrade worked with Neoen’s head office in Paris and the management of the Australian subsidiary to provide a seamless investor service.
Australia’s commitment to building a clean energy future
Australia has committed to reducing its emissions to net zero by 2050. In its Budget October 2022–23, the Australian Government committed a record funding of almost A$25 billion to clean energy spending. It includes funding for projects that unlock opportunities for clean energy and renewables investors.