That syncon feeling: the 150 tonnes of spinning steel that could help stabilise Australia’s energy transition

The Ararat synchronous condenser in western Victoria. Spinning machines such as syncons strengthen the electricity grid by providing inertia, a physical quality that resists and slows changes in frequency, working a bit like shock absorbers. Photograph: Steve Womersley/The Guardian

Nestled amid green rolling hills in western Victoria, 150 tonnes of metal has begun spinning to help secure the electricity grid.

Next to the Ararat terminal station and inside a large grey shed, a steel blue “pony motor” turns a massive rotor at 750 revolutions a minute.