Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) has announced the start of construction on the 240MW/960MWh Summerfield battery storage project in South Australia, Australia.
The Danish investment firm stated that it has fully committed to the investment in the four-hour battery storage facility through its Copenhagen Infrastructure V (CI V) fund.
The decision to issue notice to proceed to begin construction follows the fund’s financial investment approval in September 2024.
Located near existing transmission infrastructure, the Summerfield battery project is expected to play a critical role in supporting the region’s growing energy storage needs.
The facility will help stabilise the power grid and aid in the state’s decarbonisation efforts by storing excess renewable energy generated during the day for use during peak demand periods.
The Summerfield project has secured a 10-year offtake agreement with Australian electricity generator and retailer Origin Energy. It is also expected to play a role in helping the South Australian government achieving 100% net clean energy by 2027.
According to CIP, the CI V fund targets investments across various renewable energy technologies, including wind, solar photovoltaic (PV), and energy storage, with a total fund size of €12bn.
CIP Australia partner and head Jørn Hammer said: “We are pleased to start construction on CIP’s first large-scale energy storage project in Australia, which will be one of the largest in South Australia.
“CIP has a strong track record of developing, owning and operating renewable projects globally, and CIP is delighted to bring this expertise to Australia.”
Established in 2012, CIP through its various funds focuses on offshore and onshore wind, solar PV, transmission and distribution, reserve capacity, storage, advanced bioenergy, and Power-to-X, biomass, energy-from-waste, and other sustainable energy solutions.
In December 2024, CIP, through its Energy Transition Fund (CI ETF I), acquired a majority stake in Toqlukuti’k Wind & Hydrogen, a large-scale onshore wind and hydrogen project located in Canada. The stake was acquired from German renewable energy developer ABO Energy.
