Fluence to Deliver Grid-Forming Energy Storage System for AGL’s Broken Hill Project

MELBOURNE, Australia, March 24, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fluence (NASDAQ: FLNC), a global market leader in energy storage products and services and digital applications for renewables and storage announced today that it has been chosen by AGL to deliver a 50 MW / 50 MWh energy storage system with advanced grid-forming capabilities for Broken Hill Battery Energy Storage System, an ARENA-funded battery project.

The project will use Fluence’s Gridstack™ product and contribute to AGL’s planned 850 MW national battery rollout and demonstrate the capability of latest inverter technology to support stable operation in areas of low system strength. The effective partnership between AGL, ARENA, UNSW and Fluence has enabled the first system of this level of complexity, which will provide a range of system security and reliability services to the grid at Broken Hill.

Unlike grid-following or other grid-forming energy storage systems in Australia’s National Electricity Market (NEM), AGL’s Broken Hill energy storage system will start and remain in grid-forming mode, with all inverters operating as a voltage source. The system will inherently resist changes in voltage and frequency on the grid and provide synthetic inertia, also known as Virtual Synchronous Machine (VSM) mode, and fault current contribution, along with standard energy storage services like FCAS, FFR and PFR. The project will also provide storage and firming capacity to the NEM and may assist AEMO to connect other inverter-based renewables nearby, supporting the West Murray region.

AGL Chief Operating Officer, Markus Brokhof said the Broken Hill battery project was another step forward as AGL becomes a leading orchestrator of energy storage deployments in Australia.

“As Australia moves forward with its energy transition, we know that firming technologies like energy storage will be the backbone of renewable energy supply,” Mr. Brokhof said.

Aaron McCann, Fluence General Manager for Australia commented: “Broken Hill battery is the first project Fluence is delivering to AGL within the framework agreement announced in January 2021. We are excited to support AGL and ARENA to bring Australia’s energy transition to a new level by offering market-leading functionality with advanced grid-forming inverters. The Broken Hill battery project’s full power dispatches instantaneously to quickly respond to large changes in voltage and/or frequency, delivering the fastest response of all battery-based energy storage systems currently available in the market. This fast response will enable the system to operate stably and damp voltage oscillations after a fault in weak grid areas the West Murray region, which will enhance the system strength on the grid.”

The project, with expected completion in 2023, will be delivered by Fluence in conjunction with its local consortium partner, Valmec and in partnership with EPC Power and its latest grid-forming inverters.

About Fluence

Fluence (Nasdaq: FLNC) is a global market leader in energy storage products and services, and digital applications for renewables and storage. With a presence in 30 global markets, Fluence provides an ecosystem of offerings to drive the clean energy transition, including modular, scalable energy storage products, comprehensive service offerings, and the Fluence IQ Platform, which delivers AI-enabled digital applications for managing and optimizing renewables and storage from any provider. The company is transforming the way we power our world by helping customers create more resilient and sustainable electric grids. For more information, visit our website, or follow us on Linkedin or Twitter. 

Forward-Looking Statements

The information in this press release includes a “forward-looking statement” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements, other than statements of present or historical fact included in this press release are forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, expected timing for the project to be fully operational and anticipated benefits of the project.

These forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from the expected results. Most of these factors are outside Fluence’s control and are difficult to predict. Factors that may cause such differences in expected results include but are not limited to the following: delays in the completion of the commissioning phase as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, extreme weather, and related delays in readiness to enter the Broken Hill battery storage system into the NEM, and the outcome of testing and commercial operation of the Broken Hill battery storage system. Fluence cautions that the foregoing list of factors is not exclusive.

Except as otherwise required by applicable law, Fluence disclaims any duty to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release, all of which are expressly qualified by the statements in this section, to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release. Should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results and projections could differentiate materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements.

Media Contact                                                                                 

Adele Zhang
Head of Marketing & Communications, APAC
+61 406529688        
Adele.Zhang@fluenceenergy.com        
                        
Investor Relations                                                 

Lexington May         
Sr. Manager, Investor Relations
+1 713-909-5629                                
InvestorRelations@fluenceenergy.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/db1680d3-39f0-4cd7-9962-5548f190197c