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Engie fully acquires Australia’s first large-scale BESS built on a decommissioned coal plant
Engie has taken full ownership of Victoria’s Hazelwood battery, boosting its presence in Australia’s battery storage market.
French utility Engie has taken full ownership of the Hazelwood battery energy storage system (BESS) in Victoria, Australia, acquiring the remaining 30% stake previously held by Eku Energy. This acquisition marks a new chapter in the life of Australia's first grid-scale battery system, constructed on the site of a decommissioned coal-fired power station. This consolidates Engie's position in the country's expanding battery storage sector.
The Hazelwood BESS, a 150MW/150MWh system with a one-hour duration, is located on the site of the former Hazelwood coal plant in the Latrobe Valley, which ceased coal operations in 2017. Construction began in December 2021, and the system entered service in June 2023. The project was initially delivered through a partnership between Engie and developer Eku Energy, with technology and long-term operational support provided by Fluence. Engie originally held a 70% stake in the project, with Eku owning 30%, which Engie has now purchased to gain full ownership.
Fluence supplied its GridStack sixth-generation battery energy storage solution to Hazelwood, representing its first deployment of this platform in Australia. Beyond supplying equipment, Fluence continues to provide operations and maintenance services, emphasising the long-term role of technology providers in ensuring the performance and reliability of utility-scale battery systems. Hazelwood operates within the National Electricity Market (NEM), offering services such as energy arbitrage and grid support. Its development reflects broader trends in the energy sector, where sites of decommissioned coal plants are increasingly repurposed for flexible, low-emission energy infrastructure.
The Hazelwood project also illustrates the evolution of Eku Energy, launched by the Green Investment Group (GIG) in 2022 as a standalone energy storage developer. Since then, Eku has pursued additional large-scale projects in Queensland, including the proposed 1,600MWh Belah BESS and the Monduran BESS, and has expanded into New Zealand through its first trans-Tasman acquisition.
The full acquisition of Hazelwood positions Engie to further develop its battery storage portfolio in Australia while contributing to the country’s transition from coal-fired generation towards more flexible and low-emission energy solutions
Source:Energy Storage News
