ACEN unit ACEN Australia has been supported by the government of New South Wales (NSW) for feasibility studies on the proposed 800 megawatts (MW) Phoenix pumped hydro project.
The company said if found feasible, the project is expected to start construction in 2025 and be operational before 2030 that will serve as a large-scale, long duration renewable energy storage facility to support several nearby wind and solar assets.
In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, ACEN said the Phoenix hydro project has been selected by EnergyCo and WaterNSW to receive feasibility funding to determine if it can support energy security in the region as well as to help replace retiring coal-fired generation capacity.
The project is being supported by the NSW government through WaterNSW’s renewable energy and storage program and also through a A$7 million in feasibility study funding by EnergyCo under its pumped hydro recoverable grants program.
“These funds will help deliver the valuable renewable energy firming capacity needed and we commend the NSW government for supporting such exceptional technologies. ACEN looks forward to building this project as part of its goal to deliver 20 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity by 2030,” said Patrice Clausse, ACEN International chief executive officer, in a statement.
ACEN Australia has more than 1,500 MW of projects under construction or at an advanced stage of development, including solar and wind energy projects.
ACEN as an entire group, has a target to reach 20,000 MW worth of RE projects in its portfolio by 2030. – Jed Macapagal
