MANILA, Philippines — ACEN Corp. has secured funding support from Australia’s New South Wales (NSW) government to explore the feasibility of the company’s proposed large-scale long duration renewable energy (RE) storage facility.
ACEN said its Australian subsidiary’s Phoenix pumped hydro project has been selected by statutory authority EnergyCo and state-owned WaterNSW to receive feasibility funding to determine if it can support NSW energy security, help replace retiring coal-fired generation capacity, and support the achievement of the government’s renewable energy objectives.
The project is being backed by the NSW government through WaterNSW’s Renewable Energy and Storage Program, and also through AU$7 million in feasibility study funding by EnergyCo under its Pumped Hydro Recoverable Grants Program.
“These funds will help deliver the valuable renewable energy firming capacity needed and we commend the NSW government for supporting such exceptional technologies. ACEN looks forward to building this project as part of its goal to deliver 20 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy capacity by 2030,” ACEN International chief executive officer Patrice Clausse said.
The 800-megawatt (MW) 12-hour duration Phoenix pumped hydro project will rise within NSW’s Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone.
If found feasible and constructed, ACEN said it would offer energy storage solutions to support several nearby wind and solar assets.
The project is expected to begin construction by 2025 and will be operational before 2030, should it be found viable.
“ACEN Australia is excited to be progressing the project with support from the NSW government. This project has the potential to facilitate more renewable projects in the Central West Orana region and provide valuable firming services in NSW,” ACEN Australia CEO Anton Rohner said.
Rohner said the hydro project would be bidding for long-term energy services agreements for long-duration storage.
“Our focus is on ensuring that we develop a project that offers the right mix of benefits and opportunities for the region and the State of NSW. We’ll be calling for inputs from community and stakeholders soon,” Rohner said.
ACEN Australia has more than 1.5 GW of projects under construction or at an advanced stage of development.
These include the New England Solar, New England Battery, Stubbo Solar, and Valley of the Winds projects in the NSW New England and Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zones.
ACEN Australia is also developing Robbins Island and Jim’s Plain Wind and North East Wind in Tasmania.
ACEN is the listed energy platform of diversified group Ayala, with an 18 GW development portfolio throughout the Asia Pacific region.
The company aims to become the largest listed renewables platform in Southeast Asia, with a goal of reaching 20 GW in renewables capacity by 2030.