Neoen Powers Up Second Stage of 540-MW Battery in Queensland

French renewable energy producer Neoen SA (EPA: NEOEN) has switched on the second stage of its Western Downs Battery in Queensland, energising a 270-MW/540-MWh facility six weeks ahead of schedule.

With both stages now operational, the site has become Queensland’s largest battery energy storage system (BESS). Neoen noted that the Western Downs Battery is also the biggest BESS with grid-forming capabilities registered on the state’s main grid, enabling it to help stabilise voltage and frequency in the same way as conventional power generators.

The project is located within the Western Downs Green Power Hub, alongside a 460-MWp solar farm near Dalby and Chinchilla. Stage 2 construction began last year and, like Stage 1 commissioned in June, uses Tesla’s Megapack 2XL technology.

Neoen, now majority-owned by Brookfield Asset Management, also owns the 200-MW/400-MWh Blyth Battery in South Australia and is building a large-scale project at Collie in Western Australia, where the first 219-MW/877-MWh stage was energised in late 2024. The company previously developed the 300-MW/450-MWh Victorian Big Battery, later sold to HMC Capital.