Energy Vault Holdings, Inc., a leader in sustainable, grid-scale energy storage solutions, has announced the start of construction of a 200 MW/2 hour battery energy storage system being deployed at ACEN Australia’s New England Solar project. Energy Vault leaders were joined by representatives from ACEN Australia, elected officials and local Anaiwan First Nations leaders at a welcome ceremony to mark the start of construction.
Construction has started on the first of two Energy Vault battery energy storage systems (BESS) at ACEN Australia’s 720 MW New England Solar project in New South Wales. With a capacity of 200 MW/2 hours, it will be the region’s first large-scale BESS, designed to store and dispatch renewable energy during peak consumption hours, reducing reliance on coal-fired power. This project is supported by the NSW Government’s Emerging Energy Program.
The groundbreaking event for New England Solar, featuring remarks from Energy Vault CEO Robert Piconi, ACEN Australia’s Tim Greenaway, and local Anaiwan First Nations leaders, marked a key milestone. The ceremony included a traditional sweating ritual and Piconi’s official groundbreaking.
Lucas Sadler, VP of Sales Asia at Energy Vault, emphasized the importance of the project in providing renewable energy for NSW and the company’s global commitment to energy storage solutions.
Tim Greenaway of ACEN Australia highlighted the strong collaboration with Energy Vault and the Anaiwan First Nations, aiming to deliver reliable and cost-effective clean power.
The BESS deployments, part of Energy Vault’s B-VAULT™ suite, will feature a special inverter that enables advanced grid support functions, including voltage and frequency ride-through, grid support during disturbances, and reactive power control. This, combined with Energy Vault’s proprietary X-Vault integration platform and Vault-OS Energy Management System, will optimize and enhance energy management for the BESS operations.
The mobilization of this BESS deployment represents a critical milestone for Energy Vault’s growing commercial footprint in the Australian market, following a series of recent agreements, including with Enervest and the Victorian government-owned State Electricity Commission (SEC). To date, Energy Vault’s B-VAULT portfolio in the Australian market consists of 1.9GWh in previously announced projects.
