Energy companies brief Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on potential hydro pump project for South Australia
PRIME Minister Malcolm Turnbull and his Cabinet’s Energy Committee have been briefed on a pumped hydro project for South Australia.
ENERGY retailers have briefed Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and his Cabinet’s Energy Committee on a pumped hydro project for South Australia.
Pumped hydro is used to store 97 per cent of the world’s energy and has been touted as a potential saviour for SA’s power grid.
EnergyAustralia outlined a proposal for an Upper Spencer Gulf project that would be the equivalent of 60,000 home battery storage systems — they say it would be a third of the cost.
Mr Turnbull said today that the Australian Renewable Energy Agency was finalising a $450,000 grant for the project.
The Advertiser revealed last week that the Government is enthusiastic about pumped hydro and that work is underway to make a facility at Cultana a reality. That model would be able to generate 300 megawatts at a cost of up to $500 million.
EnergyAustralia were representing a consortium including Arup Group and Melbourne Energy Institute that are planning a 100MW project.
EnergyAustralia managing director Catherine Tanna said it would work like a “giant battery … providing a reliable store of affordable power”.
Water is pumped from a lower reservoir to a higher one when energy demand is low, held, then released when demand spikes, driving a turbine.
The EnergyAustralia project could be feeding into the grid by the summer of 2020/21.
Mr Turnbull created the Cabinet Committee to solve issues around unreliable and intermittent power generation, particularly in South Australia.