SIMEC Energy Australia’s Playford Utility Battery gains development approval

SIMEC Energy Australia, a member of Sanjeev Gupta’s global GFG Alliance, has received development approval for the 100 MW Playford Utility Battery which will be built just outside of Port Augusta about 320km north of Adelaide in South Australia.

Following the submission of a comprehensive Development Application, and subsequent review by the South Australian Government, the South Australian Ministy for Planning has signed off on the SIMEC Energy Australia Application to build one of the largest batteries in the world.

The Playford Battery has a nominal capacity of 100MW/100MWh, placing it at an equal power output to the Neoen/Tesla Hornsdale Power Reserve battery outside of Jamestown in the north of South Australia. The battery also has the capacity to provide a peak response of 135MW when demand is at its highest. Once energised, the Playford Battery will complement the output of our Cultana Solar Farm and provide several innovative services to the grid which include:

• Market arbitrage: Charging the battery at times of high energy output from renewable sources in the region, including the nearby Cultana Solar Farm, and discharging that energy into the grid at peak times.
• Frequency Control Ancillary Services (FCAS): Providing frequency support to the grid to support system security.
• Fast Frequency Response (FFR): Providing frequency support to the grid, with response times typically quicker than traditional FCAS to further protect users of the national electricity grid and enable new renewable energy generation such as the nearby Cultana Solar Farm.

The Playford Battery will provide greater stability to the grid as Australia transitions to a low carbon economy and will further support the Port Augusta community in their goal to be a leader in renewable energy.