Shell Energy has plans to install a battery energy storage system at the Woolworths Distribution Centre at 11 Warren Rd, Warnervale, as part of a $9.1M project, Smart Energy Hubs, funded through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).
The hubs will be installed throughout Queensland, NSW and Victoria across 40 commercial and industrial sites.
Proposed works at Warnervale have an estimated cost of $3M and will allow the factory to use renewable energy from its rooftop solar panels and draw less electricity from the grid, consequently reducing demand on the power network and improvingits reliability which is the objective under the ARENA grant funding.
The battery energy storage system (BESS) will also store solar energy for later use.
Additionally, BESS will result in a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from the site and support NSW’s and Australia’s goal to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
In September 2022, the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) stated that NSW faced a potential supply gap from 2025-2026 unless new-generation storage and transmission projects were advanced in time to compensate for closing coal plants and anticipated rising power demand.
Shell Energy has received $9.1M i funding from ARENA as part of its Advancing Renewables Program to deliver the Smart Energy Hubs with a focus on commercial and industrial sites with weather or temperature sensitive loads, such as shopping centres, supermarkets and distribution centres.
Smart Energy Hubs are a mix of technologies and capabilities that integrate and optimise energy supply, efficiency and flexible demand while reducing emissions and costs.
The development application for the Warnervale site (DA/62/2025) can be viewed on Central Coast Council’s website.
Sue Murray
