Kokam Delivers 30 Megawatt Energy Storage System to Alinta Energy

Largest Lithium Ion Battery Deployed for an Industrial Application in Australia

Kokam's Ultra High Power Lithium-ion NMC battery technology cost-effectively provides the high-power output needed for spinning reserve, ancillary services, mining, off-shore drilling and other utility and industrial applications

SEOUL, South Korea, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Kokam Co., Ltd, the world's premier provider of innovative battery solutions, today announced that it has successfully deployed for Alinta Energy, a leading Australian utility, a 30-megawatt (MW) system / 11.4-megawatt hour (MWh) Energy Storage System (ESS), the largest lithium ion battery deployed for industrial application in Australia. The ESS features Kokam's high power Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC) Oxide battery technology, and is being used to improve the performance of an islanded high voltage network, which supplies power to major iron ore producers in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.

Hybrid Natural Gas/Battery System Increases Islanded Microgrid's Reliability, Efficiency, Sustainability
Operational since April 2018, the ESS consists of five 2.2 MWh Kokam Containerized ESS (KCE) units using Kokam Ultra High Power Lithium-ion NMC (UHP NMC) batteries. The ESS, in conjunction with Alinta Energy's existing 178 MW open cycle gas turbine Newman Power Station, serves as a hybrid natural gas/battery energy generation and storage system. This hybrid system, along with a 220 kV high voltage power transmission system and high voltage substations, form an islanded microgrid that is used to power iron ore mines.

In addition to delivering Alinta Energy the ESS used for the project, Kokam, in partnership with EPC contractor UGL Pty Ltd, also served as the system integrator on the energy storage project. Kokam contracted ABB Australia to supply the ABB PowerStore™ "Virtual Generator" used to manage the microgrid.

Adding the ESS to the microgrid will improve Alinta Energy's ability to reliably deliver energy to the region's iron ore producers.

"For the iron ore industry in the Pilbara, generating hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars' worth of output an hour, a reliable energy supply is crucial. This battery will let us better handle peak demand periods, increase reliability for our customers and lower our emissions as a result," said Alinta Energy, MD & CEO, Jeff Dimery.