Renewables developer AMPYR Australia has announced it will acquire Green Gold Energy’s Davenport battery storage system (BESS) project in South Australia.
The storage system, which has been renamed the Northern Battery, is expected to start construction in 2026. It will provide up to eight hours of energy storage through a 270-megawatt battery platform.
As part of the agreement, AMPYR will build a grid forming, utility-scale battery on a decommissioned, coal-fired Northern Power Station in Port Augusta.
Green Gold Energy, which has developed the project since 2023, will continue to support project development.
One of the new decisions under the new partnership was to relocate the project to the former Northern Power Station precinct to capitalise on pre-existing substation infrastructure and minimise community impact.
MPYR CEO Alex Wonhas said the Northern Battery represents the energy transition by using a former coal fired station as a battery storage.
“South Australia is one of the global benchmarks in renewable generation. The next phase of its energy transition will be dominated by energy storage, not generation. The accelerated deployment of long duration grid-scale batteries is critical to strengthening system reliability and security while reducing consumer costs,” Wonhas said.
Projects like the Northern Battery will play a critical function in stabilising Southern Australia’s grid and providing enough storage to power over 300,000 homes from the state’s solar and wind resources.
GGE Managing Director John Huang said: “The Northern Battery project is designed as an integrated model that combines grid forming technology, intelligent storage and market-aligned dispatch, helping South Australia evolve from a leader in renewable uptake to a leader in sustainable renewable operation.
“The project is intended to serve as a scalable reference for the next phase of Australia’s energy-system transition.”
AMPYR is working with the Port Augusta community in developing the Northern Battery and will launch an initial AU$40,000 Community Benefit Fund to provide direct support for local projects.