The Wellington Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) is planned to be developed in the central west New South Wales (NSW), Australia.
The project will comprise a grid-scale BESS with a total discharge capacity of around 400MW.
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AMPYR Australia, a renewable energy assets developer in the country, owns 100% of the BESS project.
The Wellington Battery Energy Storage System will be constructed in two stages.
Construction works will commence in 2025. During the construction phase, a total of 90 jobs will be created in Stage 1 and 60 in Stage 2.
The total cost of the project is estimated to be A$545m ($342.08m), as of 2023.
Energisation of the first stage is expected in 2026, followed by second stage in 2027.
Once operational, it will have a capacity of 1,000-megawatt hours (MWh) of green power. This will make Wellington BESS one of the largest battery storage projects in NSW.
Wellington Battery Storage System Location
Wellington is being constructed at 6773 and 6909 Goolma Road, Wuuluman NSW 2820. The project site is situated within the Central-West Orana Renewable energy Zone (CWO REZ), in the Dubbo Regional Council local government area (LGA).
The site is approximately 2.2km northeast of the township of Wellington, 44km southeast of the township of Dubbo.
Background
The announcement to develop a battery storage system was made in September 2021 when project proponent AMPYR submitted a scoping report to the New South Wales (NSW) Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE).
In October 2021, the DPIE issued Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements (SEARs) for the Wellington BESS project.
AMPYR (50%) signed a joint development agreement with Shell Energy Australia (50%) in October 2022.
In November 2022, the DPIE placed the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the project on public exhibition for a month.
In December 2023, the project secured State Significant Development planning approval.
AMPYR acquired the remaining 50% interest in the BESS project in February 2025, becoming the sole owner.
As of February 2025, the first stage of the Wellington BESS has received planning and grid approvals with the final stages of procurement and financing underway.
Wellington BESS Details
The Wellington BESS project will be developed in two stages. The first stage will have a capacity of 300 MW / 600 MWh, while an additional 100 MW / 400 MWh capacity to be added in the second phase.
The Wellington Battery Energy Storage System comprise up to 6,200 pre-assembled battery enclosures with lithium-ion battery packs and associated equipment, transformers, and inverters.
An on-site BESS substation will be built with two 330kV transformer bays, 33/0.440kV auxiliary transformers.
The site infrastructure will also include an operations and maintenance building to accommodate supporting equipment and systems of the substation.
The BESS will be connected to the nearby Wellington Substation via an underground or aboveground transmission line.
The TransGrid Wellington Substation will be upgraded with a southern bay extension to include an additional 330kV switch bay. The security fencing will be relocated for the development.
Other ancillary infrastructure will include a new access road, a washdown bay for incoming vehicles, and a control and office building.
A subdivision will separate the BESS from the remaining site, which will be used for grazing and cropping.
The BESS project is expected to energise 37,500 homes in Stage 1 and 25,000 in Stage 2, supporting additional wind and solar capacity in the Central-West Orana REZ.
Contractors Involved
The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the Wellington BESS was prepared by EMM Consulting.
