Australian electricity producer CleanCo is testing Australia’s largest grid-connected sodium sulfur battery at the Swanbank Clean Energy Hub project, 45 kilometers southwest of Brisbane.
Queensland state-owned electricity generator CleanCo Queensland is testing Australia’s largest grid-connected sodium sulfur (NAS) long-term battery energy storage system (BESS) on the Swanbank clean energy hub project, 45 km southwest of Brisbane.
The 1.5MW NAS BESS provides a minimum of six hours of energy storage and is part of a feasibility study in partnership with Victoria-based energy solutions company Allset Energy, to complete the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) agreement for Swanbank.
Germany-based chemical giant BASF and Japan-based NGK Insulator, supplied on site by Allset Energy, can expand stackable modules to GW scale.
Tom Metcalfe, CEO of CleanCo, said the trial is studying the commercial and operational potential of long-term energy storage to inform how CleanCo can meet the changing needs of customers with reliable, sustainable energy solutions.
The BASF NAS battery consists of sodium as a negative electrode and sulfur as a positive electrode. A ceramic tube made of beta-alumina acts as an electrolyte, allowing only sodium to pass through.
During discharge, sodium is oxidized and sulfur is reduced to polysulfide (Na2SX). During the charging step, metallic sodium and elemental sulfur are again recovered.
The battery operates at temperatures of approximately 300 degrees C. Both elements are in a liquid state when the battery is in operation. The cells are packaged in a module, with six modules mounted in one battery container.
Thomas Buschkuehl, Managing Director of Allset Energy, said the BASF NAS battery is a globally mature, long-life energy storage technology capable of supporting 24/7 carbon-neutral operations.
“By applying this technology, Allset Energy has developed an integrated solution that meets Australian standards for the local market, and we are pleased to be working with CleanCo and QUT to implement this into Australia’s largest sodium sulfur energy storage solution” , Buschkuehl said.
The Queensland University of Technology‘s (QUT) Energy Storage Research Group will play a role in the research as a knowledge-sharing partner.
QUT’s Director of the Energy Storage Research Group, Associate Professor Joshua Watts, said QUT was genuinely excited to support Australia’s first multi-container NAS BESS deployment.
“This project represents a major leap forward for Australia in adopting the new technologies needed to deliver stable and… safe power for the nation,” said Watts.
The study is expected to be completed in early 2025 to support an investment decision in the same year, with the project potentially operational by mid-2026.
The NAS battery will complement the Swanbank Big Battery (lithium ion phosphate) currently under construction.
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