Origin Energy invests $400M in large-scale battery at Mortlake Power Station
29th January, 2024
By Kate B., Australian Manufacturing
Origin Energy has given the green light for the construction of a substantial large-scale battery at the Mortlake Power Station in south-west Victoria, signalling an investment commitment of approximately $400 million.
The Mortlake Power Station battery is slated to boast a capacity of 300 MW, with an expected output of up to 650 MWh, the company said in a media release.
This strategic move aims to fortify the stability of variable renewables supply, ensuring a reliable power source for customers.
Origin CEO Frank Calabria expressed enthusiasm about the project, stating, “The Mortlake battery is another significant step in our ambition to lead the energy transition through cleaner energy and customer solutions.” Contracts have already been inked with global energy storage systems supplier Fluence, and preparations for site construction and civil works are scheduled to commence in the coming months.
Calabria outlined Origin’s broader strategy to accelerate the integration of renewable energy and storage solutions into its portfolio, highlighting the pivotal role that large-scale batteries and other storage technologies will play in Australia’s ongoing energy transition.
This announcement closely follows the company’s decision last year to greenlight its first large-scale battery project at Eraring, currently in the construction phase.
Given the proliferation of wind and solar farms, especially in Victoria’s South West Renewable Energy Zone, the Mortlake battery is poised to contribute to grid stability and support the influx of renewable energy into the system amid ongoing decarbonisation efforts.
The Mortlake Power Station, currently the largest gas-fired power station in Victoria with a generation capacity of 566 MW, operates as a peaking power station fueled by gas from the Otway Basin.
The battery is anticipated to be commissioned in late 2026.
DeFrock 
The picture shows these units quite close together. Does anyone know the MWh capacity of one container?
How much HF could be produced if it auto-combusted?
What about nickel oxides in inhalable form?
I went on google earth to take another look at the Moorabool complex, why is it all blurred out?
Have they built something that departs from original plans?
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That is $600,000 per MWh which is the kind of price you pay for storage capacity, not much change since the Musk battery installed at the Hornsdale Wind Farm in SA, now called the Hornsdale Power Reserve, 194 MWh for about $160 million in two stages, 2017 and 2020. Multiply by 1000 to get to Gigawatts.
https://www.flickerpower.com/index.php/search/categories/renewables/21-12-the-capacity-of-big-batteries
Here is an interesting equation: The power required to get through a windless winter night, say 14 hours with 20GW of base load is 280GWh.
All the big batteries in the pipeline at present add up to almost 60GWh and those in operation are a tick under 3GWh. So don’t look to batteries to ride through wind droughts that can last up to three days across the whole of SE Australia.
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