$160m work contract for Collie big battery project awarded to SCEE Electrical

The delivery of the Collie Battery Energy Storage System (CBESS) in Western Australia has marked a new milestone as Synergy awards a $160 million contract to SCEE Electrical. 

The contract award will get SCEE Electrical to undertake civil, electrical and major equipment installation works. 

These works will involve installing and commissioning approximately 640 battery container units, 160 inverters and 220 kilometres of high-voltage cabling. SCEE Electrical will also be managing a laydown facility at the Port of Bunbury as part of the project. 

“This contract will mean more jobs for Western Australians and be of great benefit to the local economy. 

“Synergy’s Collie battery will be a major piece of infrastructure when complete and will play a critical role on Western Australia achieving net zero emissions by 2050,” Energy Minister Reece Whitby said. 

CBESS is located about 200 kilometres south-east of Perth, sitting next to the Collie Power Station on Boys Home Road. The project site is around 2.5 kilometres south west of the Western Power-owned 330kV Schotts Terminal, where CBESS will connect to once it is completed. 

CBESS is set to become one of the biggest of its kind in the world, having a 500MW/2,000MWh capacity once it is online in late 2025. 

This Collie battery project is expected to create up to 500 jobs during the peak construction period. 

CBESS is the third battery project being delivered by Synergy on behalf of the Western Australian Government. 

“Collie’s Big Battery project will ensure Collie remains vital to the ongoing energy needs of Western Australians. 

“Collie has played an important role in the energy sector over the past century and will continue to be at the heart of the energy system well into the future,” Collie-Preston MLA Jodie Hanns said. 

Source: Government of Western Australia – Media Statements; Synergy (1, 2); Renew Economy