Tamworth's enormous new battery project could be completed by as early as 2023, helping to support billions of dollars worth of new renewables investment in the region.
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Australian-owned renewables firm Maoneng released plans for the Tamworth Battery Energy Storage System - slated for the city's outskirts - on the weekend.
Together with a similar project in Armidale, they will rival the world's biggest batteries.
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Maoneng Director of Renewables Development Allison Hawke told the Leader, if the project is approved by the state government on schedule, the company hopes to start construction within two years.
"We expect both the Tamworth and Armidale Battery Energy Storage System projects to follow a similar schedule, although this is subject to change as they progress," she said.
"At the moment we're looking at a public exhibition period in November and December this year, and potential DA approval around April to May next year. Then we're planning to start construction in early 2023 and have that finished late the same year."
Both the 200 MW Tamworth battery and the 150 MW Armidale project dwarf the Hornsdale Telsa Battery, which was Australia's biggest battery when finished in 2017.
Both are planned for sites just out of town, near the Tamworth and Armidale substations.
The Tamworth Battery Energy Storage System's site on Burgmann's Lane is just two kilometres from the suburb of Calala.
Ms Hawke said the battery storage system would help "improve electricity grid reliability and network stability" by drawing power from the grid during off-peak periods and then sending it back when needed.
"This process helps overcome the intermittency of renewable generation through frequency response and regulation of pricing," she said.
It's as yet unclear how much money the enormous projects will cost, but it will be in the tens or hundreds of millions of dollars.
Ms Hawke said they will help prevent brownouts or blackouts in the local area as the Hunter Valley's huge coal-fired power stations power down over the next few years.
The company does not have plans to build solar, wind or hydrogen projects in the region in the immediate future.
The world's largest battery, the Californian Gateway Energy Storage, has 250MW of storage capacity.
Both projects are likely to be considered of state significance and approved at the state government level.
Planning documents show the Tamworth site was chosen due to its proximity to the Tamworth substation, and its low environmental sensitivity. The 3.2 hectare site is currently used as a farm paddock and has no risk of flood.
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