At least eight hours of storage is planned through a 108 MW/864 MWh vanadium flow battery at the Muswellbrook Clean Industries Precinct in New South Wales. Idemitsu Australia is pursuing the project at a former coal mine, which would become Australia's largest vanadium flow battery if completed.
News Synopsis
At the Muswellbrook Clean Industries Precinct in New South Wales, Idemitsu Australia, a subsidiary of Japan-based Idemitsu Kosan, is pursuing a 108 MW vanadium flow battery. If completed at that scale, it would become Australia's largest vanadium flow battery.
The project is planned at a former coal mine in the Hunter region. It remains at the planning stage, with no construction start identified. The development would use vanadium flow technology rather than a lithium-ion battery configuration.
Vanadium flow batteries store energy in liquid electrolytes held in external tanks and circulated through an electrochemical stack. The proposed Muswellbrook installation is intended as a long-duration storage project, with its minimum eight-hour duration forming a central part of the design.
The battery forms part of wider plans for the Muswellbrook Clean Industries Precinct. Other proposals at the site include solar development and the Bell's Mountain pumped hydro project involving AGL and Idemitsu Australia. The developments are planned on land previously used for coal-related operations.
The battery project could create about 100 construction jobs and five continuing operational roles. Idemitsu has also established a community benefit fund for local schools, volunteer groups and First Nations organisations. These employment figures remain projected because the project has not entered construction.