Tamar Valley Battery Energy Storage System (BESS)

The Tamar Valley Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) is a 70MW half to one hour grid scale battery project proposed in the Bell Bay industrial precinct, to connect into the George Town 220kV network in Tasmania. This project will use advanced inverter (grid forming) technology with a key focus on power system stability support, enabling renewable energy technologies, reducing constraints, and providing Essential System Services to supplement the existing hydro synchronous fleet.

The project location is approximately 4km away from the converter station of the Basslink HVDC interconnector which is the main interconnector into and out of the Tasmanian region. As per the plan, the BESS will be connected to the 220kV network via an existing connection point, providing direct support to Basslink as well as the surrounding Tasmania northern centre load harbour for system strength and voltage control, and also across the whole NEM for frequency control services.

One of the key objectives of this project is to demonstrate how advanced inverters can displace synchronous sources/services to enable high levels of renewable energy penetration at the lowest cost. As the first grid scale BESS development in Tasmania, this project will leverage Tasmania's unique power system position, world leading System Non Synchronous Penetration (SNSP) and highly flexible hydro assets to explore the potential of grid forming batteries during periods of very high inverter based generation.

The project will accelerate the technical understanding needed to deliver the future envisaged by AEMO's Integrated System Plan; underpin the Tasmania Renewable Energy Target (TRET) which will double the State's renewable generation from the existing 10.7 GWh to 21 GWh by 2040; and support Tasmania's aggressive target of 'net zero' emissions by 2030.