Australia approves 750 MW Sandy Creek, which could join list of world's largest BESS projects

Australia announced the country has approved the Sandy Creek Solar Farm and battery energy storage project proposed by renewable energy developer Lightsource bp in the New South Wales (NSW) Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone.

The project includes a 750 MW solar farm coupled with an up to 750 MW / 3,000 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS). If the BESS capacity is built, it would make Sandy Creek Solar the country's largest solar plus storage project, eclipsing the 720 MW New England Solar project also coming up in NSW and the 1,200 MW / 2,400 MWh battery coming up at the Melbourne Renewable Energy Hub in Victoria.

The 750 MW / 3,000 MWh rating would also put Sandy Creek Solar alongside Moss Landing BESS as one of the largest battery storage capacities globally.

Lightsource bp says the project will produce 1,757,500 MWh of electricity per year from roughly 1.5 million photovoltaic (PV) panels, enough to support more than 200,000 homes. The company had previously estimated the project's investment requirement at around A$540 million.

Australia's Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek, who announced the approval, called the project "another big step" in the government's plan to make the country a renewable energy superpower.

"We know projects like this are vital to boosting renewables," she said, adding: "We want to unlock Australia's potential to be a renewable energy superpower. It's a huge task – we're working overtime to get there."