Located in New South Wales, Australia, the Waratah Super Battery began operations in early September with a capacity of 1,680MWh. On November 27, the battery successfully alleviated the potential large-scale power outage crisis triggered by a heatwave. Around 2 p.m. that day, the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) issued a rapid instruction for the Waratah Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) to provide 96MWh of electricity support to the National Electricity Market (NEM) between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., a crucial time to meet the soaring electricity demand.
As the heatwave intensified, electricity demand surged, and New South Wales faced significant challenges in power supply. Premier Chris Minns emphasized that AEMO would implement a series of “forward-looking preventive measures” to manage the electricity consumption of large users and key public facilities. He also noted that the significant drop in solar power generation was a key factor contributing to the power supply crunch, particularly after 3 p.m., when solar generation declined noticeably.
The Waratah Super Battery, hailed as the “stabilizing cornerstone” of the grid, played a pivotal role in this critical moment, once again underscoring the urgent need for New South Wales to enhance its energy storage capacity to flexibly respond to the sharp fluctuations in electricity demand caused by extreme weather.
Akaysha Energy, in collaboration with leading BESS integrator Fluence, plans to introduce its cutting-edge Mosaic artificial intelligence optimization software into the Waratah Super Battery project. This advanced technology will also be integrated into Akaysha’s massive 415MW/1660MWh Orana storage system in New South Wales and the 150MW/300MWh Ulinda Park project in Queensland, further expanding its application.
In addition to the Waratah Super Battery, AEMO issued an emergency instruction to Iberdrola Australia’s subsidiary in Western Sydney, requesting the immediate activation of its advanced 50MW/75MWh Wallgrove Battery Energy Storage System and ensuring at least 59MWh of stable power reserve during the critical period from 2:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Surprisingly, this emergency instruction was revoked by AEMO at 4:45 p.m.
With extreme weather events increasing globally, this incident once again demonstrates the core and indispensable role of battery storage technology in today’s complex and dynamic power grid.
The Waratah Super Battery, as a key component of grid stability, played an essential role in averting the power crisis during the Australian heatwave. By providing stable power support, it reduced the risk of outages and highlighted the urgent need to enhance energy storage capacity to tackle challenges posed by extreme weather. This event also showcased the critical importance of battery storage technology in modern power networks. Energy storage will remain a hot topic in Australia and globally for a long time.
