en.Wedoany.com Reported - Neoen Australia has announced the start of construction on a new battery energy storage facility at the Culcairn Solar Farm in the Riverina region of southeastern New South Wales. The battery storage project, with a capacity of 215MW/963MWh, will be developed in partnership with NHOA Energy and a joint venture between Equans Solar & Storage and Bouygues Construction Australia, and is expected to commence commercial operations in 2028.

The Culcairn Solar Farm, with an installed capacity of 440MWp (350MW AC), began operations in May 2026 and is Neoen's second-largest solar asset globally, generating enough electricity annually to meet the needs of 160,000 households. The newly added battery storage will share the same grid connection point as the solar farm, enabling direct storage of solar power for dispatch to the grid.

This storage asset is Neoen's first "behind-the-meter" battery co-located with a solar farm, designed to support grid stability in the National Electricity Market and help implement the New South Wales Government's Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap. The project brings Neoen's total installed renewable energy and storage capacity in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory to over 1GW.

The battery capacity has undergone several expansions—from the initially approved 100MW/200MWh to the current 215MW/963MWh, primarily driven by improvements in battery cell energy density. The project has also secured support through a Long-Term Energy Service Agreement under the New South Wales Government's Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap.