Researchers at the ANU Centre for Energy Systems (ACES) are contributing their expertise in energy modelling and social research to the recently announced Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) at Williamsdale, south of Canberra.

Construction on the 250 MW / 500 MWH battery, adjacent to a large solar farm, officially commenced in November 2024. The battery will be built by Eku Energy, a subsidiary of Macquarie Asset Management and British Columbia Investment Management Corporation. It will be jointly owned by Eku Energy and the ACT Government.

The project, estimated to cost $400 million and create approximately 180 – 200 jobs, will store enough renewable energy to power one third of Canberra homes for two hours. It will also prove useful for supporting the National Electricity Market providing fast acting frequency control services in just a few millliseconds.

The ACES research will entail a social science research component and a modelling component with funding provided from Eku Energy as part of the ACT Government agreement. It forms part of the ACT Government’s Big Canberra Battery project – an ecosystem of batteries across the ACT including nine batteries providing power to essential services at select government sites.

As part of the project ACES will be reviewing big battery installations across Australia and internationally, and engaging with organisations involved with the Williamsdale initiative. Our modelling will consider a range of scenarios.

ACES Co-Director, Heather Logie, who attended the official sod turning ceremony on Friday 22 November, said:

“Congratulations Eku Energy and ACT Government on reaching a significant milestone on this ambitious project. The ANU Centre for Energy Systems and researchers in the Battery Storage and Grid Integration Program are looking forward to diving deep into the role that grid-scale energy storage is going to play in firming our grid and realising our net-zero emissions future.”

Eku CEO Daniel Burrows said: “As a global business, we’re also particularly proud to be able to travel around the world and talk to other governments and partners about the wonderful work that’s happening here in Canberra and also the wonderful work that the ANU is doing that is very relevant and is leading on an international scale.”

The project uses an Australia-first revenue-sharing model in which the government will receive an expected $20-25 million a year from revenue generated by the Williamsdale battery’s participation in the National Electricity Market.

In collaboration with local stakeholders, Eku Energy has also established a $500,000  Community Grants Program for Williamsdale BESS. Under this program, a range of financial grants will be available in 2025-2026 for not-for-profit organisations to deliver community projects that deliver broad reach across the ACT community. The amount of grant funding will vary from project to project.

The Battery Storage and Grid Integration Program, now incorporated into ACES, held a workshop in 2021 to explore idea about how the Big Canberra Battery will work. Find out more here:

Big Canberra Battery Co-Design Workshop Report

The Williamsdale Battery is expected to be operational in 2026.