Next phase of Darwin-Katherine Battery Energy Storage System construction commences

The Northern Territory’s Chief Minister, the Hon Natasha Fyles, and the Minister for Essential Services, the Hon Selena Uibo, attended Territory Generation’s Channel Island Power Station on 28 November 2022 to formally announce the handover of the Darwin-Katherine Battery Energy Storage (DK BESS) site to Hitachi Energy for the next phase of construction.

With civil and building works now completed, Hitachi Energy is carrying out specialist battery equipment and cabling installation. Works have started on the new 132/11.5kV power transformer and dedicated switchroom, and the first tranche of inverter enclosures have been installed on site.

The Darwin-Katherine BESS will be replacing some gas-fired generation at Channel Island and strengthe the Darwin-Katherine system. It will also support increased solar, and deliver cost savings of around $9.8 million per year, paying for itself in approximately five years from connection to the grid. The project will also deliver an annual reduction of around 58,000 tonnes of carbon emissions

Civil works included site clearing, temporary fencing, hard stand construction and stormwater drainage to prepare the site. The building works encompassed over 40 concrete slabs, under-ground concrete culverts, foundations and bunding for the power transformer, and foundations for the new switch room.

“The Battery Energy Storage System will reinforce the Northern Territory as the solar capital of Australia. It will store power and be the backbone of the Darwin to Katherine Electricity grid,” said Chief Minister, the Hon Natasha Fyles.

“Construction of the Darwin-Katherine BESS is a huge step forward in our plan for 50% renewables by 2030,” said Minister for Renewables and Energy, the Hon Selena Uibo.

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Minister Uibo, Chief Minister Fyles and TGen’s GM Commercial Eddie Mallan

GM Commercial Eddie Mallan and Senior Project Manager Dean Osborne