Origin announces $80m expansion of battery storage

The news: Origin Energy has announced the $80 million expansion of the large-scale battery at its Eraring coal power station site in NSW.

Shares in Origin Energy rose 0.57% to $11.56 as of 3:08pm AEDT.

The context: Origin has approved the fourth stage of its large-scale battery project, in what it described as the largest battery in the southern hemisphere, to start commencing this month.

The fourth stage of development in the project involves increasing the storage capacity of the second phase to nearly six hours, reflecting increasing demand for longer-duration energy storage in the transitioning power grid, the battery will also have a power capacity of 700 megawatts, and 3,160 megawatt-hours of storage.

What they said: "As Australia continues its energy transition, large-scale batteries will be essential for reliable supply of energy, supporting more renewables coming online and helping ease pressure on wholesale prices," Origin head of energy supply and operations Greg Jarvis said.