A2EP tour of energy storage installations set to transform industrial energy use

3 hours ago

2 min read

On Wednesday 4 November A2EP led a tour of the kinds of innovative energy storage technologies that are ready to drive Australia's industrial clean energy transition. Our tour bus carried representatives from energy end users, government, consultants, retailers and OEMs into the heart of the NSW Hunter region to see MGA Thermal's 5 MWh thermal storage demonstration system and the new Allegro Energy flow battery currently being commissioned at Origin Energy's Eraring Power Station site.

MGA Thermal at Tomago was our first stop. We received a fantastic presentation from MGA Thermal's senior leadership team before a tour of the manufacturing site, including the quality control labs. The highlight was seeing the 5 MWh demonstration system up close and gaining a better understanding of the technology's benefits and potential for Australian industry. It really brought home just how substantial the 200 MWh system planned for Tronox's Kwinana operation will be.

After a lovely stop for lunch nearby, we headed to Origin Energy's Eraring Power Station which is a great demonstration of our energy system in transition. We were fortunate to have a bus tour around the coal-fired power station which is scheduled to close in 2029, and then the Eraring Battery 1 460 MW lithium-ion battery energy storage system (BESS) which is already supporting renewable energy sources and providing firming capacity and stability to the electricity grid.

We were then able to view and hear all about Origin Energy's new Allegro Energy flow battery from Allegro's Co-founder and CEO, Thomas Nann. The modular nature and flexible energy services that can be supplied by the flow battery are very exciting and we look forward to hearing more following its launch next month.

Then it was back on the bus to Sydney! The chatter on the bus was constant all day with new connections made and lots of energy-focussed conversations.

Huge thanks to the MGA Thermal and Origin Energy teams for so kindly hosting us and sharing their time. There is nothing like seeing these technologies up close! We're looking forward to more A2EP site tours in 2027.