The Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) has announced its investment in a 650 MW BESS platform across Sydney, Newcastle and the Hunter Central Coast in Australia to strengthen grid reliability as coal capacity retires (NSW government press release, 16/06/2026).
The AUD100mn (USD71mn) program includes four projects: two 200 MW BESS at Steel River (Newcastle) and Homebush (Sydney), followed by units of about 100 MW and 150 MW. The assets are being developed and operated by PLUS Grid Storage (Ausgrid Group), with the Energy Security Corporation (ESC). The platform could reach 1 GW by 2031 and relies on existing grid infrastructure to accelerate deployment. Around 500 MW is expected online by early 2029, with the remaining capacity later that year. Once operational, the BESS is expected to power up to 118,000 homes daily, supporting their rollout.
The timeline aligns with the planned retirement of coal-fired power plants, starting with Origin Energy’s 2 880 MW Eraring facility, scheduled to close in 2029 after its extension.
The announcement complements NSW tenders for 2.5 GW of renewables and up to 12 GWh of long-duration storage. According to Enerdata’s Global Energy Research, over 30 GW of BESS are currently being planned in Australia.