NAS Battery pilot at Swanbank
CleanCo is exploring the potential to pilot a NAS Battery Energy Storage System at the Swanbank Clean Energy Hub.
In September 2024, CleanCo signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Allset Energy to progress a feasibility study to finalise the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) agreement for a pilot 1.5MW NAS Battery at Swanbank.
When the feasibility study is complete in mid-2025, CleanCo will make a final investment decision about whether to proceed to pilot the NAS Battery.
The NAS Battery’s modular design provides a space-saving solution that can be expanded to gigawatt scale.
Emerging technologies
The CleanCo-Allset partnership is the result of an EOI process CleanCo held in 2023, in which businesses were invited to propose emerging energy generation and storage technologies for the Swanbank site.
The feasibility study will explore how a sodium sulphur battery technology could enhance grid reliability and support Queensland’s energy transformation.
About the proposed battery
The pilot 1.5MW NAS Battery at Swanbank would have the capacity to dispatch electricity for at least six hours. In an Australian first, the stackable, modular design would offer a scalable, space-saving solution that could expand to gigawatt scale.
The Queensland University of Technology’s (QUT) Energy Storage Research Group will also play a key role as the knowledge sharing partner, bringing a wealth of experience to the project, having commissioned Australia’s first NAS Battery in 2023.
Frequently asked questions
NAS Batteries are rechargeable energy storage batteries that incorporate negative electrodes comprised of sodium (Na) and positive electrodes comprised of sulfur (S), separated by a fine ceramic solid electrolyte. They can be repeatedly charged and discharged through chemical reactions.
In Australia a long duration energy storage (LDES) battery is generally accepted to be a battery that can supply energy for more than 4 hours. The NAS Battery CleanCo plans to pilot at Swanbank can dispatch energy for at least six hours.
The energy storage capability of NAS Batteries is comparable with pumped hydro. Both can charge during the day when wind and solar are generating and dispatch electricity for an extended period of time to meet peak demand in the evening.
A NAS Battery has an expected life of 20 years and a full charge/discharge durability of 7,300 cycles. As the active materials of the NAS Battery are in molten states, there is no transition between solid and liquid due to charge and discharge, and there is no side reaction, so long life can be expected.
The NAS battery, which operates at 300-340 degree C in a secure thermal enclosure, doesn’t require air-conditioning, and the daily charge/discharge cycle efficiently maintains its operating temperature.
The NAS Battery is a globally mature battery technology with more than 20 years of in-field operation. There are more than 250 sites with NAS Batteries currently operating around the world, the largest single battery being the 50MW/300MWh NAS Battery in Buzen, Japan, which has been operating since 2016.
The total capacity of NAS Batteries installed globally is more than 700MW/4.9GWh.
The feasibility study will be completed in mid-2025. If CleanCo decides to pilot a NAS Battery, it could be operational by 2026.
Whilst NAS Battery technology has been in use globally for more than 20 years, it is a relatively new technology in Australia. A small-scale implementation of the NAS Battery at Swanbank would enhance CleanCo’s understanding of innovative long-duration energy storage technology.
The pilot project would provide key insights into a NAS Battery’s functionality, efficiency, and adaptability to the broader energy system. The project would assess energy storage capacity, efficiency, reliability, response time, durability and safety. On the commercial side, a pilot project would test cost-effectiveness, market participation and revenue generation.
The successful implementation of a pilot NAS Battery would enable CleanCo to grow its expertise in long duration energy storage technology.
CleanCo is developing a range of energy generation and storage projects at its Swanbank’s site as part of the site’s transition to become a Clean Energy Hub.
The pilot is proposed to take place on one of the sites where a coal-fired power station once stood. The exact location will be determined as part of the feasibility study.
Swanbank is ideally suited to host the NAS Battery, with its proximity to Queensland’s largest energy demand.
