Technical and environmental advisor for Waratah super battery project: Munmorah

EnergyCo engaged GHD to prepare a preliminary design and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed Waratah Super Battery, located at the preferred site of the former Munmorah Power Station on the New South Wales (NSW) Central Coast.

This landmark project is being developed as the first Priority Transmission Infrastructure Project under the Electricity Infrastructure Investment Act 2020. The battery, which is expected to be the largest in the southern hemisphere, will support the energy transition from traditional fossil-fuelled generators to large-scale renewable energy generators, ensuring the reliability and security of the NSW electricity grid. The battery, which is expected to have a total capacity of 850 MW / 1680 MWh, will be required to provide a service of at least 700 MW / 1400 MWh of standby network capacity to the grid.

The initial project work involved providing technical support to EnergyCo and creating a battery design that could be approved. This expanded into identifying an appropriate site and working with an integrated team of consultants to develop a comprehensive EIS.

We worked under a tight deadline to achieve the preliminary work to ensure the security of electricity supply in NSW.

The Waratah Super Battery project is designed to be a System Integrity Protection Scheme (SIPS) control and standby network battery system, dedicated to supporting the transmission grid.

The project includes:

• A SIPS system, designed to reserve and deploy battery power to support the NSW electricity grid when triggered by a contingency event
• Up to 850 MW of active power
• Up to 1,680 MWh of battery energy storage capacity
• Connecting transmission and related infrastructure to connect the SIPS to the existing grid

We provided the following services:

• Design of grid connection, including consultation with utility providers (Transgrid)
• Site layout and civil design
• Battery technology alternatives
• Site configuration alternatives
• Technical advice in the tender evaluation process for service providers / battery suppliers
• Desktop and intrusive geotechnical assessment and subsidence
• Advice on contamination and remediation of the site
• Integrated environmental analysis and assessment
• Critical State Significant Infrastructure application supported by an Environmental Impact Statement completed in record time
• Project management of all the above services

We engaged our multidisciplinary team of engineers, scientists, and Digital and Advisory specialists from across our Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong, Victoria and Adelaide operations who worked together to deliver all objectives within the tight timeframes.

We submitted a critical State significant infrastructure (CSSI) compliant EIS for exhibition within five months of commencement, including certification of the EIS by a NSW Registered Environmental Assessment Practitioner.

The key potential impacts associated with biodiversity and bushfire risk were minimised through iteration between the design and environment teams, resulting in what is expected to be a smoother pathway through planning approval.