SITE
Approximately 1.5ha of land has been secured immediately adjacent to the Beresfield Substation.
The land is zoned light industry and supports the construction and operations of a battery energy storage system.
The proposed Beresfield Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) is a 170MW stand-alone battery to be located adjacent to Ausgrid’s Beresfield Substation near Newcastle in NSW.
Once operational, the Beresfield BESS will provide a range of electricity and power market services – supporting Firm Power’s mission to power the clean energy transition.
The Beresfield BESS forms part of the Hunter Dispatchable Energy System (HDES) – a distributed stand-alone battery system for the Hunter region, designed to balance the grid and support the performance and future uptake of renewable energy in NSW.
The Beresfield BESS is currently at an early stage of development with land secured and the initial phases of planning and grid connection underway. The development phase of the project is expected to complete in late 2023.
Approximately 1.5ha of land has been secured immediately adjacent to the Beresfield Substation.
The land is zoned light industry and supports the construction and operations of a battery energy storage system.
Est.
Completion
Q2 2023
The planning approval pathway for the project is via the State Significant Development process. This requires preparation of a scoping report, request for Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements, preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement and lodgement of the development application with the NSW Department Planning, Industry and Environment. This project is currently in the Scoping Report phase.
Est.
Completion
Q4 2023
As part of the grid strategy, Firm Power will submit connection applications to Ausgrid, including system studies and models which cover the performance of the BESS. Following review of the connection applications by Ausgrid and AEMO it is expected that an offer to connect will be produced followed by a connection agreement. Preliminary enquiries, along with system planning advice have been completed and the project is now in the detailed enquiry phase.
Once all necessary approvals, agreements and authorisations have been obtained, the Beresfield BESS can commence construction activities.
Construction typically takes between nine and twelve months and involves site preparation, delivery and installation and testing and commissioning stages. Preparation of the site includes civil works that make it suitable for the BESS equipment, such as earthworks, drainage and foundations. Following this, equipment, such as battery module enclosures, inverters, transformers, switchgear and ancillary systems are delivered to site, installed and interconnected. The last step in construction is the testing and commissioning process where the BESS’s installation is validated and made ready for operation.
The site is expected to operate for approximately twenty years. During this period the operational work will generally involve monitoring, testing and maintenance of equipment as well as receipt of goods, removal of waste and other general site maintenance (such as care of groundcover). During this period the site will be monitored and controlled remotely with a few people coming to site periodically for the other activities.
At the BESS end of life, the site will be remediated. This involves the removal of all above-ground infrastructure and any works needed to return the land to a safe, clean and stable state.
The Beresfield BESS will bring new sustainable technology to the local area and create construction jobs, opportunities for local suppliers and ongoing project roles. Firm Power is interested in talking to members of the community who have an interest in energy storage or who would like to discuss education, provision of services or employment opportunities that may exist in the future.
Firm Power has commenced early stage community engagement activities for the Beresfield BESS and is committed to ongoing engagement with the local community. If you have any questions or concerns about the project, or would just like to discuss the project, we would encourage you to contact our team directly by filling out the following form:
