In a remarkable achievement for the energy sector, Akaysha Energy has proudly announced that its second large-scale battery, located in Queensland, is now fully operational—achieving this milestone a full five months ahead of its planned schedule.
On Tuesday, the company revealed that the new Brendale battery, boasting an impressive capacity of 205 megawatts (MW) and 410 megawatt hours (MWh), is situated on the outskirts of Brisbane. This facility is expected to play a crucial role in enhancing the stability and efficiency of Queensland's electrical grid.
This marks Akaysha Energy’s second successful project completion within a short span of time, following the recent launch of the Ulinda Park battery. Just a month prior, the smaller Ulinda Park battery, rated at 155 MW and 298 MWh, began operations in Queensland's Western Downs region. Notably, plans are already underway to expand this facility to a capacity of 350 MW and 1,070 MWh after Akaysha secured a recent tender through the Capacity Investment Scheme.
Despite its recent successes, Akaysha has also faced significant challenges. The company has been in the spotlight due to a serious malfunction involving a transformer at the Waratah Super Battery in New South Wales, which is currently the largest battery installation in Australia, with a capacity of 850 MW and 1680 MWh. This incident, described as a "catastrophic failure," occurred during the final testing stages in mid-October and will necessitate the construction of a replacement transformer—delaying the project and resulting in substantial revenue losses as Waratah operates at limited capacity, fulfilling only half of its contractual obligations with the New South Wales government.
Interestingly, both the Waratah and Ulinda Park projects incorporated battery technology from Powin, a US-based supplier that has since gone out of business. In contrast, the Brendale battery is the first of Akaysha’s installations to utilize Tesla's Megapack 2 battery storage systems.
Expressing pride over this accomplishment, Akaysha’s CEO, Nick Carter, stated, "Achieving the early online status of the Brendale Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) is a tremendous success for our entire team. The capabilities of the BESS, alongside our agreement with Guvnor, will guarantee that consumers have access to reliable energy when they need it most, all while keeping costs affordable."
The Brendale battery is designed with advanced grid-forming inverters, which enhance its functionality in providing essential grid services such as system strength and inertia. Its partnership with Gunvor involves a unique battery revenue swap arrangement that blends contracted sales with market exposure.
Construction of this facility was carried out by Consolidated Power Projects, utilizing Wilson Transformers, which has previously supplied components for other Akaysha projects. The Brendale battery connects directly to the South Pine substation, located in Brisbane's northern suburbs.
Looking ahead, Akaysha Energy is actively working on several additional projects, including the ambitious 415 MW, 1660 MWh Orana battery in central west New South Wales, and the 315 MW, 1244 MWh Elaine battery in Victoria—where it has secured a long-term ‘virtual tolling’ agreement with Snowy Hydro. With at least six more battery projects in various stages of development across Australia, the company is positioning itself as a key player in the evolving energy landscape.
As for the Waratah battery, there are currently no updates regarding the repairs and its anticipated completion date, which is presently set for May.
