A Milestone Passes: Australia’s Big Tesla Battery No Longer Among the Top 20

📰 A Milestone Passes: Australia’s Big Tesla Battery No Longer Among the Top 20

For years, the Hornsdale Power Reserve (HPR) in South Australia, famously dubbed the “Tesla Big Battery,” was the global benchmark for grid-scale energy storage. Commissioned in 2017, its 150 MW / 193.5 MWh capacity was a world-leading demonstration of battery technology’s potential. However, the relentless march of technological advancement in Australia means that for the first time, the pioneering Hornsdale site is noticeably **absent from the nation’s Top 20** largest battery sites when ranked only by Operational or Under Construction capacity.

The change signals a fundamental shift in Australia’s energy strategy. The initial generation of batteries often focused on shorter, high-power bursts. Today’s projects are built for longer duration storage, enabling true energy shifting. They must store vast amounts of renewable energy generated during the day and discharge it continuously for four, six, or even eight hours to replace retiring coal power stations.

This new focus is clearly reflected in the colossal projects now dominating the operational and construction pipeline. The Limondale BESS has quietly become the first fully operational 8-hour battery (50 MW / 400 MWh), while the under-construction Eraring battery is set to deliver a massive 3,160 MWh. Similarly, sites in Western Australia (like the 4-hour Collie BESS), Queensland (like Western Downs), and projects in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley are predominantly 4-hour duration, a dramatic increase in energy storage compared to Hornsdale’s original 1.3-hour capacity.

Hornsdale’s legacy is undeniable—it proved the concept and accelerated the energy transition. But the current pace of development demands facilities with multi-gigawatt-hour capacity. The true measure of Australia’s battery revolution is the sheer scale and duration of these new giants, which have pushed the pioneering HPR out of the national capacity rankings.

Rank	Project Name (State)	Status	Max Duration (Hours)	Power (MW)	Energy (MWh)	State
1	Limondale BESS	Operational	8.0 hrs	50	400	NSW
2	Richmond Valley BESS	Under Construction	8.0 hrs	275	2,200	NSW
3	Eraring BESS (Stage 1-4)	Under Construction	4.5 hrs	700	3,160	NSW
4	South Pine Supernode	Under Construction	4.1 hrs	760	3,096	QLD
5	Western Downs BESS	Operational/Expanding	4.0 hrs	845	2,300	QLD
6	Collie BESS (Neoen)	Operational	4.0 hrs	560	2,240	WA
7	Lilyvale BESS	Under Construction	4.0 hrs	440	1,760	QLD
8	Wooreen Energy Storage System	Under Construction	4.0 hrs	350	1,400	VIC
9	Kwinana BESS Stage 2	Operational	4.0 hrs	200	800	WA
10	Melbourne Renewable Energy Hub	Operational	2.5 hrs	600	1,600	VIC
11	Goyder South BESS	Under Construction	2.0 hrs	900	1,800	SA
12	Waratah Super Battery	Commissioning	2.0 hrs	850	1,680	NSW
13	Riverina BESS	Under Construction	2.0 hrs	250	500	NSW
14	Victorian Big Battery (VBB)	Operational	1.5 hrs	300	450	VIC
15	Vena Energy Tailem Bend BESS 3	Under Construction	2.0 hrs	204	408	SA
16	Pelican Point BESS	Under Construction	2.0 hrs	200	400	SA
17	Rangebank BESS	Operational	2.0 hrs	200	400	VIC
18	VBB (Grid Forming)	Operational	1.5 hrs	300	450	VIC
19	New England BESS (Phase 2)	Under Construction	2.0 hrs	150	300	NSW
20	Kwinana BESS Stage 1	Operational	2.0 hrs	100	200	WA