Wandoan South BESS

NRG were engaged August 2019 by Doosan GridTech, to complete the design for Queensland’s first and the largest Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) of its kind in Australia for Vena Energy.  Over a twelve-month period, the NRG Services Engineering team worked closely with Doosan Gridtech to document a cost effective, innovative, and detailed design encompassing battery systems, power conversion systems, step-up transformers, a 132/33kV substation, control systems and all other Electrical, Civil, Mechanical, and auxiliary plant works necessary for a fully functioning BESS installation.

The $120 million project, designed to provide energy arbitrage and ancillary services to the National Electricity Market, has an initial capacity of 100 megawatts (MW) and can store 150 megawatt hours of energy – equivalent to powering 57,000 average homes annually. Furthermore, the BESS provides a vast impact on the nations green-energy targets, grid stability and contributes to an environmentally sustainable energy future throughout Queensland.

Construction of the Wandoan BESS, strategically positioned adjacent to the future planned Wandoan South Solar PV Project, commenced in November 2020 and the aggressive 10-month build program presented numerous complexities due to its geographical location. These included procurement challenges, the delivery of equipment, availability of suppliers and the supply of contractors and labour.

NRG’s Electrical scope of works for delivery of the facility consisted of the following;

• Electrical (HV/LV/DC) and Communications Civil Infrastructure works
• New Site Main Switchboard, Sub-Distribution and Distribution Boards
• HV/ LV and DC Main and Submain Cabling Systems
• LV metering and Energy Management Systems
• Fibre and Structured Cabling Network
• Fire Detection and IG541 Gas Suppression System
• CCTV and Access Control
• HV Terminations and Testing   
• Structurally Engineered Cable Support Systems
• Exit and Emergency Lighting Systems
• Uninterruptible Power Supply System (UPS) and General Purpose Outlets
• Comprehensive Earth Grid system
• Seismic Certification for installation of NRG installation works
• Installation of the following;
  – 2x 1850kVA Pad Mount Transformers
  – 17x MV Skids and 34x Power Electronic Power Conversion Systems (Inverters)
  – 816x Samsung Dual Rack Frames
  – 21,896 Samsung M3 Battery Modules complete with Busbars and Harness cabling
  – 17x Weidmueller 24v DC Control Panels
  – 68x Weidmueller DC Marshalling Panels
  – In excess 106,800m of HV/LV/ DC cable and 18,888m of Fibre and Structured Cabling 

NRG’s Mechanical works included the installation of;

• Mechanical Ventilation system including one of Australia’s largest DuctSox installations
• 1.8MW Battery Cooling System
• Building Management Control System (BMCS) and Building Data Management System (BDM), both systems
• with Dual Redundancy – Schneider Electric
• New Site Mechanical Services Switchboard, BMCS Panel and BDM Panel, Inverter Interface Boards (IIB)
• Integration of the following to the BDM;
• LV metering and Energy Management Systems
• Fire Detection System
• Access Control/ Security System
• Uninterruptible Power Supply System (UPS)
• UR20 PLC’s in 24V DC Control Panels
• Site Weather Station
• Site SCADA System
• Battery Management System (BMS) E-Stop control System, integrating emergency shut downs between
• Gas Suppression, FIP, Manual E-Stops, Surge Counters, Surge Diverters and Inverters
• Installation of the following;
• 19 x 93kW DX CRAC Units Controlled and Monitored via HLI
• 38 x DX Remote Condensers
• 200 lineal metres of Sheet Metal Duct and 704 lineal metres of DuctSox
• 110 Low Level Control/Monitoring devices over Dual Redundant Automation Servers
• BMCS and BDM Panels
• 4 x IIB aggregation panels
• 360m or Refrigerant pipework and 500kg R410A Refrigerant
• 11km of Instrumentation cable