ZEN builds on PPAs with project ownership
Published Date : 2023-June-22, Thursday
After concluding a number of PPA
deals over the last several months, ZEN Energy has jumped into the direct
project ownership ring by acquiring the Templers Battery Project from RES
Australia.
The project is located
approximately 60km north of Adelaide and will be able to deliver up to 111 MW
of power into the grid and store 270 MWh of energy. It is expected to cost more
than $200 million and provide an estimated 181 jobs during construction.
The project has received the
necessary development approvals as well as approval to connect to the grid. ZEN
expects to finalise financing arrangements in Q2 2023, with construction
planned to commence shortly after.
The Templers Battery Project is
expected to take 15 months to construct, and is scheduled to be fully energised
and providing services to the NEM by the end of 2024.
Anthony Garnaut, CEO of ZEN
Energy, said “When it is commissioned in late 2024, the Templers battery will
have the most storage capacity of the batteries in South Australia, and it will
quickly followed by bigger batteries supported by ZEN and others. At the rate
we're going, South Australia will be 100% well before 2030, enabling the
revitalisation of core industries and for Australia to evolve into a renewable
energy Superpower.”
As well as the Templers Battery
Project, ZEN has acquired the Solar River hybrid solar & battery project located
between Burra and Morgan in South Australia.
The project will have a nominal solar farm capacity of 230 MW DC together with a battery of at least 100 MW. It will connect to the ElectraNet network via a new 275kV switchyard located outside of Robertstown.
ZEN is now working through the final stages of the grid connection application process. Construction is expected to start this year. Sterling and Wilson Solar Australia was appointed by ZEN as the preferred EPC contractor.