Wärtsilä to install 250 MW /250 MWh BESS project in Australia

The technology group Wärtsilä will supply a battery energy storage system (BESS) to AGL Energy Limited, one of Australia’s leading integrated energy companies. The 250 MW /250 MWh system will be installed at Torrens Island in South Australia. It will be AGL’s first grid-scale BESS project, and the second biggest in Australia. When installed, the system will support a broad portfolio of generating assets, both thermal and renewable, and help Australia to decarbonise and transition towards 100% renewable energy future. The order with Wärtsilä was booked in July 2021.

The Torrens Island system will be delivered by Wärtsilä on a full engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) basis, and designed to provide grid-support capabilities to AGL’s asset portfolio. It is expected to become operational in the early part of 2023.

The Wärtsilä system will operate initially in grid-following mode before switching at a later date to grid-forming mode (virtual synchronous generation--VSG), making it the largest energy storage solution capable of operating in this mode. This will enable very fast response times and will future-proof the Torrens Island facility. The complex solution is supported by Wärtsilä’s advanced GEMS Power Plant Controller and energy management software.