Global battery energy storage company Pacific Green has secured planning approval from the Victorian Government to build a 1-GW/2.5-GWh battery energy storage system in the Portland area of southwest Victoria. The project, named Portland Energy Park, represents an investment of A$1.3 billion (approximately US$860 million) and will become Australia’s largest grid-scale battery energy storage facility upon completion.
Project Scale and Development Plan
Portland Energy Park comprises four 250-MW storage units, each with between two and four hours of storage capacity. The project will be developed in phases over the next 36 months, with operations expected to commence in 2028.
Joel Alexander, Managing Director of Pacific Green Energy Storage Australia, stated: “Once operational, Portland will stand as Australia’s largest grid-scale battery, driving Victoria’s energy transition forward.”
Strategic Location Advantages
The battery energy storage system will be constructed on industrial-zoned land on Madeira Packet Road in Portland, in close proximity to the Portland Aluminium Smelter and the Portland Water Treatment Plant. The Portland Aluminium Smelter is owned by Alcoa and is Victoria’s biggest energy consumer. The project’s strategic positioning enables it to provide energy security to strategic businesses and augment existing electrical infrastructure positioned nearby.
Environmental and Economic Benefits
According to Pacific Green’s data, once operational, Portland Energy Park will enable the avoidance of 66,900 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually. The facility will store cheap renewable power during the day and deliver it when demand peaks, powering 345,000 Victorian homes.
Lily D’Ambrosio, Victorian Minister for Energy and Resources, commented: “This battery will soak up cheap renewable power during the day and deliver it when demand peaks – powering 345,000 homes and slashing energy bills across the state.”
Fast-Track Approval Process
The Portland Energy Park project secured fast-tracked approval through the Victorian Government’s Development Facilitation Program (DFP). The program was expanded in April 2024 to include renewable energy projects, providing them with an accelerated pathway and removing the planning panel process and third-party appeals.
Sonya Kilkenny, Victorian Minister for Planning, stated: “Our fast-tracked pathway has unlocked more than $6 billion worth of investment into renewable energy projects – helping provide cheaper and cleaner energy to hundreds of thousands of Victorian households.”
Pacific Green’s Expansion in Australia
The Portland project is Pacific Green’s second grid-scale battery energy park in Australia. Previously, the company developed the 250-MW/1,000-MWh first stage of the Limestone Coast North battery project in South Australia, which was subsequently sold to Intera Renewables for A$460 million.
Scott Poulter, Chairman and Group CEO of Pacific Green, commented: “The Portland project will play a major role in decarbonising Australia’s energy system. Its scale underlines our ambition to become a leading developer in the market and to accelerate the nation’s transition to renewables through a multi-gigawatt platform.”
The Portland project represents a key step in Pacific Green’s ambition to develop a pipeline of over 7 GWh of battery energy parks across the National Electricity Market. In August, the company also secured a A$77 million (approximately US$50 million) debt facility to accelerate its battery energy storage system development in Australia.
Technology Suppliers
While the specific battery supplier for the Portland project has not been publicly disclosed, Pacific Green has established relationships with several Chinese battery manufacturers. The company used batteries from Gotion High-Tech for its Richborough Energy Park project in the United Kingdom, and has signed a letter of intent (LOI) with Trina Storage for the supply of 1,500 MWh of systems at Energy Parks “across multiple jurisdictions.” For the Limestone Coast project in South Australia, Pacific Green has confirmed Trina Storage as the supplier.
Safety and Compliance
According to information on Pacific Green’s website, Portland Energy Park will be equipped with the latest lithium-ion battery technology incorporating several integrated fire safety measures. This includes both external monitoring and heat sensors, as well as individual units within each battery container that are sealed and monitored with their own fire suppression systems. If a single cell fails, this section of the battery is isolated and contained, thus protecting the rest of the container unit.
The project’s technical engineering is designed to meet International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and Australian standards, with all Pacific Green energy storage projects undergoing rigorous safety and security testing to minimize safety risks.
