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The Canberra Times
The Canberra Times
National
Lucy Bladen

Work to start on ACT's big battery project

Work to build Canberra's big battery project is expected to start next year, with the ACT government outlining its plan to deliver one of Australia's largest battery storage systems.

Chief Minister Andrew Barr will announce funding for the start of the Big Canberra Battery project in next week's ACT budget.

The project will be delivered in three parts. The first part will deliver 250 megawatts of grid connected battery storage that will support the electricity network.

There will be batteries installed at 14 government-owned sites across the city as part of the second part. Batteries are planned for sites in Fyshwick, Gungahlin, Belconnen, Chifley, Greenway, Kambah and Stromlo.

The third part will include the delivery of medium-sized neighbourhood batteries.

The battery system could potentially power more than one-third of the ACT.

In the 2020-21 territory budget there was $100 million allocated over a five-year period to deliver the big battery project.

Expressions of interest for the development of large-scale batteries closed in February 2022. Procurement is currently underway on this with the batteries to be built from 2023.

The ACT government is expected to open the tender process for the first and second part of the project next month.

The battery was a commitment from Labor in the 2020 ACT election.

The ACT budget will be handed down on August 2.

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The ACT government will build one of Australia's largest renewable battery storage systems. Photo is of Williamsdale solar farm. Picture: Sitthixay Ditthavong
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