In yet another positive step forward for South Australian electricity customers, AGL has committed to construct a 250MW grid scale battery at Torrens Island which will deliver greater system strength in our electricity grid.
Last November, the Marshall Liberal Government fast tracked the planning process for this important project so it could be accelerated.
"South Australia will soon have a new 'biggest battery', funded by the private sector, which is a strong vote of confidence in our government's energy policies," said the Minister for Energy and Mining Dan van Holst Pellekaan.
"This will be the fifth grid-scale battery in our state, and the fourth one built since the last state election.
"This investment shows the confidence the private sector has in South Australia's energy sector, as a result of the world-leading well managed renewables focus of the Marshall Government.
"It's great to see AGL investing in new storage assets at the same time that the average household cost of electricity has come down by an average of $269 per year.
"Our energy policies are working to deliver cleaner, more affordable and more reliable power for all South Australians."
Torrens Island has played a huge role in power generation in South Australia for decades, with the Torrens A power station commissioned in 1967, and Torrens B in 1976.
More recently, AGL opened Barkers Inlet Power Station in 2019, which is a state of the art fast-start generator which, alongside this new big battery and the company's existing renewable generation assets, will allow Torrens A power station to be retired in an orderly manner.
These investments reflect the changing needs of the South Australian grid, as ageing gas generators are replaced with new assets which are faster, cleaner and can more efficiently fill the gaps between the sun and wind.
AGL Managing Director and CEO, Brett Redman said South Australia is leading the way in the rollout of AGL's 850MW network of grid-scale batteries.
"We are excited that an AGL grid-scale battery will be part of the orderly energy transition for South Australians, and I'd like to thank Minister van Holst Pellekaan for his support and commitment to this project," Mr Redman said
"We put forward our vision for this project less than six months ago and already we are turning it into a reality.
"Generating more power from wind than any other state, we know this battery will be instrumental in maintaining reliable and affordable supply for households and businesses in South Australia."
This battery has 66% more power, and 25% more storage than the big battery at Hornsdale which itself was expanded by the Marshall Liberal Government in 2019.
