Wind, battery to power SA future

TESLA, the electric car and renewable power company founded by tech billionaire Elon Musk, will partner with French renewable energy developer Neoen to build the “world’s biggest lithium ion battery” in South Australia.

And if they don’t deliver the battery in under 100 days, it will be free.

Premier Jay Weatherill announced ye sterday that Tesla and Neoen would be tasked with providing the 100MW battery under a “historic agreement”.

Tesla will build the battery to store energy generated at Neoen’s 99-turbine wind farm at Hornsdale, near Jamestown in the mid-north.

Under the agreement with the State Government, if the battery is not delivered by Tesla within 100 days of the grid interconnection agreement being signed, it will be free.

Mr Weatherill said SA had led the nation in renewable energy and would lead the world in battery storage.

“Battery storage is the future of our national energy market, and the eyes of the world will be following our leadership in this space,” he said.

“This historic agreement does more than bring a sustainable energy giant in Tesla to South Australia, it will also have some significant economic spin-offs.”

Neoen deputy chief executive Romain Desrousseaux said the Hornsdale Power Reserve would become the state’s largest renewable generator.

“South Australian customers will be the first to benefit from this technology, which will demonstrate that large-scale battery storage is both possible and now, commercially viable,” he said.

Mr Musk claimed he could fix SA’s power crisis for $33 million and in under 100 days after the Premier revealed his $550 million plan to secure the state’s energy supply in March.

The tech billionaire was first linked to the giant battery project when he responded to a tweet from Australian tech entrepreneur Mike Cannon-Brookes, who challenged him to build a 100MW battery farm in SA.

Mr Musk tweeted back: “Tesla will get the system installed and working 100 days from contract signature or it is free. That serious enough for you?”

Another applicant, Carnegie Clean Energy, was informed its bid had been unsuccessful earlier yesterday.

Other measures in the government plan to provide energy security for SA include building a State Government-owned, fast-start gas-fired power station that can come on when the market does not provide enough energy to keep the lights on, and encouraging the construction of a new privately owned power station using a government bulk buy power contract.

The power plan was released after the entire state was plunged into darkness in September last year.

Mr Weatherill says the plan will reduce bills and blackouts while also creating renewable energy jobs.