Image of a Battery Energy Storage System

Photo courtesy of Tesla

A big battery for Ipswich

Formerly the home of two coal-fired power stations (A and B), CleanCo is redeveloping our Swanbank site into a Clean Energy Hub featuring a range of future energy generation and storage technologies.

The first major project is the Swanbank Battery - the first big battery to be built in Ipswich.

The site where the Swanbank Battery will be built
Previously the location of the Swanbank B coal-fired power station (demolished in 2015), this site will soon be home to Ipswich's first big battery.

Swanbank B reimagined

The Swanbank Battery stage 1 will be built on the site of the decommissioned Swanbank B coal-fired power station, providing an opportunity for sustainable development of the large, flat, industrial site.

The Swanbank site is supported by a transmission network capacity of 1.2GW and has connections to the 110kV and 275kV networks through the existing Swanbank A, B and E substations, making it an ideal site for energy developments.

A visual illustration of the battery construction timeline

What is a big battery?

A battery is a technology that stores excess electrical energy during periods of high generation and releases it during periods of low generation.

Read the Q&As for more detailed information about the construction and ongoing operation of the Swanbank Battery.

An illustration of how the Swanbank Battery will deliver energy to the National Electricity Market

Benefits of a battery

Batteries provide a consistent and controllable supply of electricity to fill in gaps when other generation sources are not producing enough energy to meet demand.

As the weather affects the amount of energy generated by variable renewable sources such as wind and solar, ‘firming assets’ such as big batteries are needed to ensure a reliable supply of clean energy. For example, during the day when there is a lot of solar generation in Queensland, batteries can draw solar-generated energy from the grid and store it until the electricity is required to meet increased demand - usually in the early morning and early evening.

Got a question about the Swanbank Battery?

Read the Q&As which cover construction impacts, ongoing operation, battery safety, community benefits and end of life planning for the battery.