ZEN Energy is an energy company committed to limiting global warming to 1.5°C. Achieving this target will rely on an economy-wide transformation to renewable energy, and this is not possible without greater amounts of energy storage in the national grid.
Our Templers Battery project will provide 111MW of storage and is being delivered by ZEN Energy after we purchased the project from Renewable Energy Solutions (RES). Once completed, it will provide dispatchable, fast-response generation and load into the SA market, enabling more of the renewable energy generation required to reduce South Australia’s carbon impact. Battery Storage Energy Systems like the Templers Battery offer a rapidly deployable solution and provide significant amounts of dispatchable energy storage to the National Energy Grid which will increase the capacity to accept more renewable energy generation.
ZEN is committed to forming long-term and mutually beneficial relationships with the communities in which we operate. and key stakeholders including the Light Regional Council to ensure a safe, smooth and successful construction process.
We acknowledge the Ngadjuri people as the Traditional Custodians of the land, waters and knowledge related to the Templers Battery site. In our work, we recognise the importance of Country – not just as a place, but how it also maintains community, family, kin, lore and language. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.
PROJECT TIMELINE
PROJECT FINANCIAL CLOSE
All approvals and financial commitments are obtained and Financial Close has been completed.
CONSTRUCTION COMMENCES
Site construction works have commenced in Q2 2024.
FULLY OPERATIONAL
We expect the project to take 17 months to complete and are expecting the battery to be fully energised and providing services to the South Australian grid by Q2 2025.
PROJECT COMPLETE
COMMUNITY UPDATES
Progress of Templers Battery
Construction of ZEN Energy’s Templers Battery Energy Storage project is underway, with earthworks completed and key equipment arriving onsite over the next 6 months.
The Templers Battery is South Australia’s second-largest energy storage project, enhancing electricity reliability as the state leads the way nationally toward 100% renewable energy by 2027.
ZEN supplies all the electricity needs of the Government of South Australia and the Templers project will provide on-demand power for important facilities such as schools, hospitals and other public buildings.
The Templers project is located on a 3-hectare area of cleared farming land on the corner of Templers Rd and Power Rd, to the east of the existing ElectraNet Templers West and Templers substations.
Avoiding disruptions, minimising noise
We have been mindful of potential disruption to traffic on Templers Rd as works have progressed and have sought to minimise any delays. However, if you have been delayed we sincerely regret that and hope you can understand it may have been unavoidable.
Controls have been implemented, limiting the times of work onsite and to minimise noise, in compliance with SA regulations.
Local business Consolidated Power Projects (CPP) designed and is now building the project for ZEN, as well as being responsible connecting the battery to the South Australian electricity network.
On the project site, we have just completed the necessary earthworks and work to lay the concrete foundations for the transformers and other high voltage electrical equipment have begun.
Work hours and speed limits
Construction hours will vary but may include weekends. Weekend work is restricted to low-impact work in accordance with South Australian noise regulations.
Reduced speed limits will remain along a localised stretch of Templers Rd and Power Rd for the duration of construction.
Please be wary of vehicles of all sizes at all times, including oversized loads, entering and exiting Power Rd from Templers Rd. We thank you for your patience and understanding during this time.
What is happening next and when
In the coming months, as construction will gain pace and activity at the project site will increase, including the number of workers involved.
Foundations for the battery project equipment will be constructed over the remainder of 2024 and other key equipment will be delivered in early 2025.
We anticipate construction works to continue through to May 2025, with testing and ramp-up of the facility during the first half of 2025 as it transitions into operations. Full commercial operation is expected by Winter 2025.
We anticipate the number of workers on site to peak later this year, with approximately 60 people busy on site through to the first few months of 2025.
FAQS
The project will utilise lithium ion battery cells, specifically lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) chemistry. LFP has low thermal runaway risk and is being deployed on other utility scale batteries around Australia at present. The battery system enclosure being used include active fire detection and suppression to minimise fire risk.
ZEN Energy is committed to ensuring the projects we develop are built using industry-leading processes and equipment. ZEN is committed to using the best practice in recycling to ensure the least amount of landfill waste is accumulated, as the equipment is replaced throughout the lifespan of the powerplant. Domestic recycling operations capable of handling li-ion batteries exist now but are limited in capacity, but significant growth is forecast in response to the scale of demand for Li-ion storage. Whilst occasional faulty cell replacements are anticipated during the operational life, the majority of battery cells should last 20 years or longer, at which time a major recycling campaign would be undertaken.
Utility-scale batteries allow energy companies like ZEN to store a proportion of the clean energy created when the sun is shining or the wind is blowing in abundance, and feed it into the grid when demand is high. The ability to predictably control the dispatch of the battery and respond to market operator instructions is a key attribute. The Templers Battery will also provide services such as frequency and voltage control which can also aid in supporting the power system.
The project has received Crown Development Approval under section 131 of the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act 2016. The project site (a small parcel of rural agricultural land adjacent the existing ElectraNet substation) was selected for its anticipated low impacts, and was subject to extensive development phase studies to secure approval – inclusive of EPBC self-assessment, Cultural Heritage, Ecology, Noise, Traffic, Surface Water, amongst others. ZEN will be carefully managing our compliance with the development approval conditions throughout the lifecycle of the project, especially our construction contractor’s compliance with approval conditions during the build phase.
You can contact our team using the contact form on this webpage or by emailing our team at templers@zenenergy.com.au
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