Australia's 850MW/1680MWh Waratah Super Battery Fully Operational

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 28, the New South Wales government announced that the Waratah Super Battery has been fully commissioned and has received approval from the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) to operate at its full capacity of 850MW/1680MWh. The project was commissioned by EnergyCo NSW, with Akaysha Energy responsible for construction, ownership, and operation, and Transgrid responsible for supporting transmission network upgrades and the System Integrity Protection Scheme control system.

The Waratah Super Battery is built on the site of the former Munmorah coal-fired power station, with a maximum output of 850MW and an energy storage capacity of 1680MWh. The project includes a battery energy storage system, a System Integrity Protection Scheme (SIPS) control system, supporting generation services, and upgrades to the existing transmission network. Transgrid's SIPS system monitors the status of the transmission network in real time and calls on the battery for rapid response when transmission line faults occur.

Construction of the battery portion of the project began in May 2023, and main construction was completed in October 2024. In August 2025, the first 350MW/700MWh of capacity was put into partial operation, providing SIPS services to the New South Wales grid; the project then continued with equipment testing, commissioning, and capacity ramp-up. In early 2026, the project was still operating at 350MW capacity, awaiting replacement of damaged transformers and completion of full-system commissioning.

In June 2026, after partial transformer repairs were completed, the Waratah Super Battery returned to 700MW operating capacity, accounting for approximately 82% of total power, with 350MW continuing to be used for SIPS services and the remaining capacity participating in the Australian National Electricity Market. After receiving AEMO approval for full-capacity operation in September, the project transitioned from phased commissioning to final commercial operation.

The Waratah Super Battery project is planned to provide 700MW of SIPS service capacity, supported by at least 1400MWh of usable energy storage capacity. The project itself uses an 850MW/1680MWh configuration, reserving additional power and energy storage margin for the SIPS contract capacity. Transgrid has also implemented supporting upgrades to transmission lines including Bannaby–Sydney West and Yass–Marulan, as well as 22 substations.

The New South Wales government disclosed that the Waratah Super Battery at maximum output corresponds to the peak-period electricity consumption scale of approximately 340,000 households. About 1,000 people participated during the project's design and construction, including about 170 construction workers at the Munmorah site.