Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners commences construction on a four-hour battery project in South Australia
Summerfield, a 240 MW / 960 MWh battery energy storage system, is expected to be operational in 2027 and will be one of South Australia’s biggest batteries.
Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), through its fund Copenhagen Infrastructure V (CI V), today announced it has fully committed to the investment and will start construction on the four-hour 240 MW / 960 MWh Summerfield battery storage project in South Australia.
Summerfield is located in Murraylands, 55km to Adelaide’s east near Mannum, and will play an important role in addressing South Australia’s rapidly growing need for energy storage capacity – enabling the decarbonisation of its power grid while maintaining reliability.
Summerfield will support the South Australian Government’s target of 100% net renewable energy by 2027, storing excess wind and solar energy generated during the day to supply renewable power during peak demand periods.
Canadian Solar’s e-STORAGE, a global leader in battery energy storage systems, will build and operate the project under a 20-year operations and maintenance agreement. Summerfield has entered into a 10-year offtake agreement with Origin Energy.
As part of the project, Summerfield is directly developing transmission infrastructure to help unlock the extension of the southeast renewable energy zone. Once complete, this will enable up to 600 MW of additional transmission capacity.
For more information visit www.summerfieldbattery.com.au.
Quotes attributable to Partner and Head of Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) Australia, Jørn Hammer:
“This is a significant milestone for the Summerfield project, and CIP’s broader renewable energy pipeline in Australia.”
“Australia needs large-scale battery energy storage solutions to stabilise the grid and deliver affordable power to homes and businesses when needed most.”
“We are proud to work with Canadian Solar’s e-STORAGE and Origin Energy to support the South Australian Government’s 100% renewable energy ambitions.”
Quotes attributable to South Australian Minister for Energy and Mining, Tom Koutsantonis:
“Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners’ credentials are impressive, and it is obvious they have very big plans for Australia. It’s pleasing that their first Australian battery project to reach FID is here in South Australia.”
“A four-hour 240MW battery can store enough energy to power at least 50,000 South Australian homes a day. This will deliver clear benefits to the state including improving the reliability and stability of the grid. It will also have local benefits for the south-east, including supporting over 100 jobs during planning and construction.”
Quotes attributable Origin’s Head of Supply and Operations, Greg Jarvis:
“Origin is pleased to be working with CIP and to have secured the exclusive offtake from the Summerfield battery storage project.”
“The Summerfield offtake delivers Origin a portfolio of owned or contracted battery developments in each of Australia’s NEM states. This includes our large-scale battery at the Eraring power station in NSW, which will have the largest total dispatch duration of an operating battery or project under construction in the Southern Hemisphere.”
“Origin’s battery portfolio, including the offtake from the Summerfield battery, will play an important role in helping firm increasingly variable renewable energy supply in the NEM and maintaining secure, reliable energy supply for customers.”
Quotes attributable to President of Canadian Solar’s e-STORAGE, Colin Parker:
“We are honored to be awarded by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) for the Summerfield Battery project using e-STORAGE’s proprietary SolBank’s cutting-edge battery technology and leveraging on our strong execution capabilities.”
“This project will make a significant contribution to South Australia’s 2027 target of 100% of electricity generation from renewables. Our team works closely with the local community and the project will deliver tangible benefits to the region.”
About Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners
Founded in 2012, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners P/S (CIP) today is the world’s largest dedicated fund manager within greenfield renewable energy investments and a global leader in offshore wind. The funds managed by CIP focus on investments in offshore and onshore wind, solar PV, biomass and energy-from-waste, transmission and distribution, reserve capacity, storage, advanced bioenergy, and Power-to-X.
CIP manages 12 funds and has to date raised approximately EUR 31 billion (around AUD 50 billion) for investments in energy and associated infrastructure from more than 180 international institutional investors. CIP has approximately 500 employees and 14 offices around the world. For more information, visit www.cip.com.