July 29, 2026 — Neoen has doubled the size of its Goyder Battery project after securing two 15-year capacity service contracts in South Australia’s inaugural Firm Energy Reliability Mechanism tender.
The contracts, administered by AusEnergy Services Limited, each cover 75 MW of eight-hour capacity. The committed capacity must be available for continuous dispatch when required to help maintain the balance between supply and demand in South Australia’s electricity system.
The contracts will be delivered by Stages 1 and 2 of the Goyder Battery, a 454 MW / 1,814 MWh project located in the state’s Mid North on the land of the First Peoples of the River Murray and Mallee Region. The battery forms part of Neoen’s Goyder Renewables Zone, which also includes the Goyder South and Goyder North wind farms.
Neoen issued notices to proceed for Stage 1, with a capacity of 227 MW / 907 MWh, in December 2025 to battery storage supplier Tesla and balance-of-plant contractor UGL, a member of the CIMIC Group. The company has now executed contracts with both companies for an equally sized Stage 2.
The Goyder Battery will connect to ElectraNet’s Bundey substation and is expected to be among the first projects in Australia to deploy Tesla’s new Megablock technology. Site works are scheduled to begin in August 2026, with operations expected to start in 2028.
The project is expected to create more than 150 jobs at peak construction and at least 12 permanent roles during operations. Neoen said it would also deliver benefits to First Nations communities and the local environment, while contributing funds to the company’s existing community benefit-sharing program for the Goyder Renewables Zone.
With the addition of the new asset, Neoen Australia’s total storage capacity has reached 2.7 GW / 9.1 GWh in operation or under construction, strengthening its position as a leading battery owner and operator in the country.
Jean-Christophe Cheylus, Neoen’s regional CEO for Australia Pacific, thanked the South Australian Government for its support and said the launch of the second stage, just six months after the first, showed the growing importance of battery storage to Australia’s clean energy future. He added that the project marks Neoen’s 12th battery with Tesla in Australia and its ninth project with UGL.
South Australia’s Minister for Energy and Mining, Tom Koutsantonis, said the Firm Energy Reliability Mechanism was accelerating private investment in large-scale battery energy storage systems and would significantly strengthen the resilience of the state’s energy system.
Neoen Group CEO Xavier Barbaro said the company had continued to develop energy storage expertise since installing the world’s first big battery in South Australia in 2017, with its global storage capacity now exceeding 10 GWh in operation or under construction.
