Australia’s renewable energy transition gained a significant boost with Origin Energy announcing the commercial commencement of Eraring Battery 1, a 460MW/1,770MWh battery energy storage system in New South Wales.
According to Greg Jarvis, Origin Energy’s executive general manager of energy supply and operations, the project represents the largest approved BESS in the Southern Hemisphere, marking a milestone in large-scale storage deployment.
Eraring Battery 1 is designed to store excess daytime solar electricity and release it during peak demand periods, providing essential grid services such as frequency regulation, voltage support, and energy arbitrage. With a 1,770MWh energy capacity, the system can discharge continuously at full output for roughly 3.8 hours, enabling it to firm renewable energy and help stabilize supply across the National Electricity Market (NEM), which spans eastern Australian states.
The project was developed through partnerships with contractors including Wärtsilä, Enerven, Jacobs, Lumea, and Transgrid. Wärtsilä served as the primary technology provider, continuing its collaboration with Origin Energy, and has been selected for the second stage expansion. Approved in July 2024, this next phase will add 240MW/1,030MWh with grid-forming advanced inverters designed to strengthen network stability, bringing total site capacity to 3,160MWh upon completion.
Eraring Battery 1’s 460MW power output positions it among Australia’s highest-capacity systems in terms of instantaneous power, though Akaysha Energy’s Waratah Super Battery remains the leader at 850MW. The Waratah BESS experienced a transformer failure in October 2025 as it worked toward full operational status, highlighting the technical challenges of deploying gigawatt-scale storage.
The commercial operation of Eraring Battery 1 coincides with Origin Energy receiving AEMO approval in November 2025 for a 300MW/650MWh grid-forming BESS project at Mortlake Power Station in Victoria, further demonstrating the company’s strategic focus on large-scale storage solutions.
Australia’s battery storage sector is rapidly scaling, with multiple gigawatt-hour-scale projects under development. Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners’ proposed Gladstone State Development Area Energy Hub in Queensland, for example, would integrate a 780MW/6,240MWh (8-hour duration) BESS with gas turbines, illustrating the increasing adoption of hybrid storage and generation solutions to meet reliability and decarbonization goals.
