The first large-scale battery in the South East Queensland load centre recently commenced commercial operations, providing a boost to the reliability and capability of the power grid.
CS Energy’s Greenbank Battery has been regularly charging and discharging to support market requirements since beginning commercial operations last month. It is the company’s second grid-scale battery and follows the commissioning of the Chinchilla Battery in 2024.
The 200 MW/400 MWh Greenbank Battery features 108 Tesla Megapack 2XL units and has the capacity to power 66,000 homes for two hours in the evening peak before needing to recharge.
The battery typically operates by storing surplus energy during low demand periods and then releasing it back to the grid when demand is high.
New CS Energy Chief Executive Officer Brian Gillespie visited the Greenbank Battery today to see the battery in operation and meet the site team. His visit follows recent trips to CS Energy’s power stations since he joined the business in June.
CS Energy worked with Tesla, Consolidated Power Projects, and Powerlink Queensland to deliver the Greenbank Battery,” Mr Gillespie said.
“The battery has gone through a rigorous testing and commissioning process, which was similar to the approach used for the Chinchilla Battery,” Mr Gillespie said.
“CS Energy also undertook a detailed operational readiness program, which included employee training, critical risk assessments, and safety and design reviews.
“Thank you to local residents who attended community updates held by our team during the construction phase. I would like to reaffirm our commitment to being a good neighbour now that we are in the operations phase.”
To support this phase and the ongoing operation of the battery, two experienced Operator Maintainers have commenced in permanent roles on site, supported by Asset and Operations engineers, Tesla and our Chinchilla Battery operations team.
Image: CS Energy CEO Brian Gillespie (second from left) with Operations Superintendent Renewables and Firming Mick Louis (centre), Electrical Maintainer Operators Mark Colles (far left) and Jeff Watts, and Government Relations and Social Performance Manager Jess Chad.
The Greenbank Battery is located next to Powerlink Queensland’s Greenbank Substation, which supplies electricity to South East Queensland, in particular the Gold Coast, Logan and South Brisbane areas.
Site works for the Greenbank Battery began in late 2023 and the project had a peak construction workforce of 60 people.
CS Energy established the Greenbank Community Benefit Fund in 2024 to invest in projects, events or initiatives by not-for-profit groups in the suburbs surrounding the battery.
Grid-scale batteries are fast and flexible, with the ability to respond within milliseconds to smooth out fluctuations in electricity supply and frequency, helping support system security and reliability.
Batteries are expected to play an important role in responding to the trend of higher daily and seasonal peaks in electricity demand. Queensland often has a surplus of energy in the middle of the day, then demand increases significantly in the late afternoon and evening, particularly during summer.
Tesla Megapack 2XL units are one of the safest battery storage products of their kind. The units undergo extensive fire testing and include integrated safety systems, specialised monitoring software and 24/7 support.
For more information, visit the Greenbank Battery page.