Western Australia has achieved a significant milestone in its energy infrastructure with the early activation of its largest battery storage project to date. Renewable energy provider Neoen announced Tuesday that the Collie Battery Stage 1 is now operational, featuring Tesla Megapacks with a capacity of 219 MW/877 MWh.
Located in the coal town of Collie, on traditional lands of the Wilman people of the Bibbulmun nation, the project has been operating since October 1 under the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) contract. The completion time was remarkable, taking less than 18 months from groundbreaking to full operation.
The facility provides 197 MW of storage capacity with a 4-hour duration, designed to charge during daylight hours and discharge during peak evening demand. This strategic timing helps address potential risks associated with the state’s retiring coal plants and the increasing adoption of rooftop solar installations.
Neoen’s Australian CEO, Jean-Christophe Cheylus, expressed pride in the rapid delivery of the project, acknowledging the collaborative efforts of Western Power, Tesla, UGL, AEMO, and the Western Australian Government. The company has ambitious plans for the region, with over 2 GW of projects in their Western Australian pipeline.
The Collie Battery represents several firsts for Neoen: it’s their inaugural large-scale battery project in Western Australia and their first 4-hour battery project globally. The company’s total energy storage capacity in Australia now stands at 1,925 MW/4,709 MWh.
Plans for expansion are already in motion with Collie Battery Stage 2, which will add 341 MW/1,363 MWh of capacity and is scheduled for completion by late 2025. Once both stages are operational, the combined facility will provide 560 MW/2,240 MWh of capacity, capable of supplying up to 20% of average demand within the South-West Interconnected System (SWIS).
Tesla manufactures these Megapacks at their Lathrop, California “Megafactory,” which aims to produce 10,000 units annually at full capacity. A second Megafactory in Shanghai, China, is near completion and is expected to match the California facility’s production capacity.
