October 6, 2025: RWE Renewables Australia said on September 23 it is preparing to commission the country’s first eight-hour BESS.

The Limondale BESS, comprising 144 Tesla Megapack batteries, has a capacity of 50MW/400 MWh, which the company said will make it the longest-duration grid-scale battery operating in Australia.

Full commissioning of the BESS, at the Limondale solar farm in New South Wales, is planned for the end of this year.

RWE said the project was the first recipient of a long-term energy service agreement under New South Wales’ long duration storage tender, highlighting its critical role in supporting the state’s energy transition.

Once fully operational, the BESS will store excess renewable energy generated during the day and dispatch it into the grid when demand is high, improving grid stability and enabling greater use of renewables in the energy mix.

Daniel Belton, CEO of RWE Renewables Australia, said registration of the BESS with the Australian Energy Market Operator, ahead of commissioning, marked a defining moment for long-duration battery storage in the country.

Australia is one of RWE’s focus markets, where it has been present since 2013. The company started building the Limondale solar farm in 2018. The facility is made up of 872,000 panels and generates enough electricity to power about 105,000 homes per year. Full commercial operation started in 2021.

Batteries International reported last August that the first 350 MW / 700 MWh of the Waratah Super Battery project in New South Wales was now online.

Operator Akaysha Energy said that BESS was already serving as a ‘shock absorber’ for the state’s electricity grid in case of events such as heatwaves, lightning strikes and bush fires.