Editor TLN
The Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Kings Marotohas inaugurated this Wednesday the first installation of battery storage that naturgy will be put into operation worldwide. During her visit, the minister learned about the cutting-edge technology used in this facility together with Francisco BustioCEO of Global Power Generation (GPG), Naturgy’s international generation subsidiary, and other members of the GPG team in the country.
For the minister, “this new investment by the Naturgy Group in Australia It shows the potential of Spanish companies worldwide and their ability to develop projects that are pioneers in sectors such as energy and renewable energies, where Spain has internationally leading companies. In addition to Naturgy, there are many Spanish companies with a presence in the Australian market that are benchmarks in other areas such as infrastructure or the shipbuilding industry. With this visit I want to support Spanish companies with a presence in Australia such as Naturgy and promote new investments in this important market”.
For its part, bust stated that the start-up of the energy company’s first storage system in Australia “is an important step in strengthening our international presence and our contribution to the energy transition. We are very pleased to have the confidence of the Government of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) for the development of this important project, and we hope to continue collaborating closely from now on”. The CEO of GPG explained that this type of system allows storing renewable energy to supply it when necessary in times of low production, as it allows flexibility in the production of renewable energy and guarantees its integration into the system.
At the inauguration and visit to the plant, the Spanish ambassador to Australia, Alicia Moral Revilla; the General Director of International Trade and Investments, Alicia Rocio Varela; the Economic and Commercial Counselor, Ana Raquel Garcia Rubio; and the general director of the Chamber of Spain, Immaculate Riera i Reñéamong others.
Queanbeyan Battery Center
The battery center Queanbeyan is the first storage facility that Naturgy will put into operation worldwide. It is located in the Australian capital region, next to the city of Canberra, and will have a strategic nature as support for the distribution network in the area. Through a Lithium-Ion battery system with a power of 10MW and a capacity of 20 MWh storagethe Queanbeyan center will be able to accumulate electricity from renewable sources and feed it into the grid when required at times of lower electricity production.
In this way, the installation not only reinforces the supply, but also contributes to promoting the country’s energy transition, ensuring the presence of clean energy in the network in a continuous and stable manner. The project is associated with the construction of the Berrybank 2 wind farmthat the group will start operating in the coming months.
Australia is a priority country for Naturgy within its strategic objectives for the coming years. The group aspires to reach an installed capacity in the country of 2.2GW between now and 2025, with an investment of close to 2,000 million euros focused on the development of wind and photovoltaic technology plants and storage systems, such as the one in Queanbeyan.
The group currently operates the wind farms of Crookwell II and Berrybank I, and finalizes the entry into operation of Berrybank II. In addition, Naturgy works on a robust portfolio of projects under construction and development with a capacity of 1.2 GW, concentrated in the regions of Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia.
Naturgy’s presence in Australia It dates back to 2007 and has always aimed to build a strong renewable portfolio that provide clean energy sources and contribute to the development of rural and regional communities. The company carries out its activity in the country through its subsidiary GPG, established in 2014 and in which the group holds a majority stake of 75%, together with the Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA), which has the remaining 25% GPG manages a total installed capacity of more than 4,000 MW and employs around 500 people worldwide.
Naturgy Cunderdin project in Australia
An example of this commitment to the country is the investment that the company will make to build its first solar hybrid project worldwide by combining photovoltaic technology and storage batteries. The project cunderdinrecently announced, will be a technological leader as it is the first hybrid solar facility to be developed in the country, with an investment of 160 million euros.
The plant will have a photovoltaic solar capacity of 125MW and a battery energy storage system of up to 220 MWh. The company has acquired the project from Sun Bred Power (SBP) and will begin construction in the last quarter of the year, with the goal of entering commercial operation during the first quarter of 2024. The integration of an energy storage system in batteries with a large-scale photovoltaic plant will allow the project to offer greater flexibility in its operation, which in turn will make it easier to support the Australian SWIS wholesale energy market during periods of peak energy demand in the country.
Naturgy works to promote its role in the energy transition and in the decarbonizationwith the ambitious goal of reaching the emissions neutrality in 2050 and an installed power from renewable sources close to 60%. The company plans to invest 14,000 million euros during the validity of its roadmap to 2025, of which approximately two thirds will be dedicated to promoting renewable generation, to go from the current 5.2 GW in operation to more than 14 GW planned to be operational by the end of 2025.
The investments in renewables made in recent years by the company confirm its strategic shift towards a more sustainable energy mix and its commitment to the energy transition. All this, without abandoning the fundamental objectives of creating value and growth for each of the businesses, as well as the objectives in terms of ESG.
