Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport (WSI) has partnered with renewable energy company CleanPeak Energy to power the nation’s newest aviation hub using 100 per cent renewable electricity.
Under the agreement, CleanPeak Energy will invest more than AU$50 million to deploy 9 megawatts-peak (MWp) of new rooftop solar panels and a massive 120 megawatt-hour (MWh) Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) directly at the Badgerys Creek precinct.
This system will integrate with WSI’s existing 4.5 MWp rooftop solar installation, generating over 18 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of local clean electricity every year.
The greenfield airport has been designed with strict environmental standards from the ground up. The renewable infrastructure will supply power to everything from the automated baggage handling systems and terminal operations through to the airport’s electric airside ground equipment, such as pushback tractors.
WSI’s power demand is expected to surge from 40 GWh annually today to approximately 120 GWh within the next five years.
CleanPeak, which began supplying power to the site on May 1, will guarantee 100 per cent green electricity from day one by supplementing on-site generation with power drawn from its broader portfolio of New South Wales solar farms.
Once fully operational, the project will avoid roughly 64,000 tonnes of carbon emissions annually, the equivalent of keeping 22,500 passenger cars off Australian roads.
CleanPeak Energy CEO Philip Graham stated the project demonstrates that critical infrastructure can transition seamlessly to green energy.
“This project is about unlocking what’s possible when large-scale energy infrastructure is designed, financed and operated as an integrated energy system to power critical assets like airports without compromising performance,” Graham said.
WSI CEO Simon Hickey added that embedding sustainability directly into the construction phase has set the airport up for a low-carbon future.
“The energy system they will manage represents a landmark commitment to achieving net zero scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions for WSI,” Hickey said.
CleanPeak has designed its offering at the site to ensure renewable electricity will be available to supply future stages of the airport as and when they are developed as well as tenants and owners in the connected business park within the precinct.