News

BNRG Leeson adds standalone battery energy storage system projects to its development portfolio, making plans for the Leongatha BESS and Cairnbrook BESS both in Victoria.

The proposed 60 MW AC / 240MWh Leongatha BESS will cover an area of almost 2 hectares and will consist of approximately 42 BESS Containers and 14 inverters.

The project site is considered to have low agricultural quality and is close to an existing high-voltage transmission line requiring minimal new powerline infrastructure.

Pending approvals construction of the Leongatha BESS is scheduled for Q1 in 2027 for completion in Q3 2027.

BNRG Leeson’s second pure battery project in the planning stage is the 80 MW AC / 320 MWh Cairnbrook BESS situated approximately 20km north-east of Traralgon, in the Gippsland region.

Cairnbrook BESS will be constructed on a similar sized area of land as Leongatha and feature approximately 54 BESS containers and 18 inverters.

BNRG Leeson is looking to construct Cairnbrook on a similar schedule to its Leongatha project.

Additionally BNRG Leeson is planning a new large-scale solar farm development near Bairnsdale in the Gippsland region.

A planning permit is being prepared for the Bairnsdale Solar Farm which will have have a capacity of 97 MW DC, with a 150 MW battery, to be constructed on a 176-hectare site located 10.5km from Bairnsdale township.

Approximately 180 people will be employed during peak construction with 12 ongoing operational jobs.

AltEnergy is tracking eight BNRG Leeson solar farm developments, all in Victoria, with a total capacity of almost 570 MW. Of these five have planning approvals.

Ireland’s BNRG started developing solar farms in Australia in 2018 but in 2020 joined forces with Melbourne-based Leeson Group, which lead development of the 440 MW DC Corop Solar Farm.