Origin Energy Mortlake Power Station Battery

Summary

Need

Declining system strength in the National Electricity Market is making it more difficult to connect inverter-based renewable generators in the National Electricity Market. Grid-forming inverters are a promising solution, which can help maintain system stability in increasingly weak grids. However, more demonstration projects are required to build experience in the technology, such that it can be relied on.  

Action

Origin Energy will construct a 300 MW / 650 MWh Grid-Forming Battery at Mortlake in Victoria. The Project will utilise SMA inverters and will be commissioned with grid-forming functionality enabled. The grid-forming inverters will be tuned to improve system stability in Victoria and the Project will operate with the grid-forming inverter functionality enabled at all times. 

Outcome

The objectives for the Project will be achieved through the following Outcomes:  

1. demonstrating advanced inverter capabilities on Large Scale Battery Storage (LSBS) projects at scale;  
2. overcoming barriers that prevent LSBS projects from incorporating advanced inverter capabilities; 
3. improving industry understanding of the potential role of advanced inverters in supporting system stability during periods of very high inverter-based generation;  
4. reducing the reliance on synchronous generators and/or synchronous condensers for system stability;  
5. demonstrating the capability of advanced inverters (at scale) such that it can be relied upon for critical system services in power system planning; and  
6. informing market regulatory bodies to facilitate the efficient delivery of services from Grid-Forming Batteries.