Energy storage | Looking ahead, what role do you envision
for pumped storage in the future energy landscape, particularly in the context of increasing renewable energy penetration and decarbonization goals? Worldwide, increased levels of renewable energy will lead to a greener grid. With the massive expansion of wind and solar farms and the movement away from fossil fuels, the future is bright for pumped storage hydro and for storage. There will continue to be a need for long-duration storage (8+ hours), which batteries cannot currently provide. However, no energy solution can exist outside of the real and competitive pressures of the market. Technical viability and environmental benefits won’t be enough to get projects over the line if they can’t demonstrate financial soundness. In Australia, despite the significant potential and benefits of pumped storage hydro projects, only three projects are currently operational (two in New South Wales and one in Queensland) and two are under construction – the Kidston project in Far North Queensland and Snowy 2.0. A number of other sites have been identified for new opportunities for pumped storage hydro, but so far very few have been developed beyond concept level. State and federal governments are looking at mechanisms to support the development of more large-scale storage projects – whether they be pumped storage or long-duration utility-scale batteries – to meet the significant storage requirements estimated necessary by the Australian Energy Market Operator as coal generation retires from the market over coming decades.
Below: Cethana lake in Tasmania, Australia. The Cethana PHES project was selected as Hydro Tasmania’s preferred site as part of their Battery of the Nation (BotN) works
Can you provide examples or case studies that highlight the specific benefits of pumped storage projects in supporting renewable energy integration? Entura completed a feasibility study for Genex Power’s Kidston Pumped Storage Hydro Project in North Queensland in 2015-16. The project is now
in construction and Entura is serving as Owner’s Engineer. The project is highly significant because this will be the first pumped storage hydro project constructed in Australia in decades. It will complement the company’s adjacent solar and wind projects, forming part of Genex’s Renewable Energy Hub. The project is located on the abandoned former
site of the historic Kidston Gold Mine, which features two large open pit mines, which are utilised as the reservoirs for the project. Following detailed market studies undertaken by Genex and its financial consultants to assess the pricing and revenue impacts of the various options considered, it was determined that a 250MW scheme with 8 hours of continuous generation, totalling a nominal 2,000 MWh of energy storage capacity, would be the optimal size.
Entura is part of Hydro Tasmania, which has
operated an extensive hydropower system in the Australian state of Tasmania for over 100 years. As part of an assessment of the potential for Tasmania to make a greater contribution to Australia’s National Electricity Market, a concept study was completed on Tasmania’s pumped storage hydro potential. Pre-feasibility studies, jointly funded with the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), were completed on 14 potential pumped storage projects identified during the concept stage. The objective of the pre-feasibility studies was to identify viable projects that would be suitable to progress to feasibility assessment, in the context of future Australian grid projections, timing of new interconnection development, and existing assets and water resources.
Detailed feasibility studies were undertaken on 3 of the best pumped storage hydro projects based on a multi-criteria assessment. From this process, the Cethana PHES project was selected as Hydro Tasmania’s preferred site as part of their Battery of the Nation (BotN) works.
26 | October 2023 |
www.waterpowermagazine.com
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