Windlab, Squadron Energy submit 500MW battery storage system for federal assessment in Queensland, Australia

Windlab and Squadron Energy have submitted a 500-megawatt battery energy storage system at the Bungaban solar-plus-storage project in Queensland for federal environmental assessment, advancing one of Australia’s largest standalone storage developments. The referral marks a critical milestone for a project designed to deliver firming capacity at scale as the state’s coal-fired generation fleet approaches accelerated retirement timelines.

Queensland’s energy transition has entered its most demanding phase. With the state government targeting 70% renewable electricity by 2032 and 80% by 2035, the grid requires massive injections of dispatchable capacity to replace the synchronous inertia and peaking power historically supplied by coal. The Bungaban BESS, co-located with solar generation, addresses this need directly by storing midday renewable output for evening peak deployment — a functional requirement that grows more urgent with each generator withdrawal notice.

The partnership between Windlab and Squadron Energy combines complementary strengths: Windlab’s atmospheric modelling and site identification expertise with Squadron’s development pipeline and capital access through its parent entity, Tattarang. Their collaboration reflects a broader industry shift where integrated renewable-plus-storage assets are becoming the default investment thesis for institutional capital seeking exposure to Australia’s decarbonisation. Federal assessment under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act adds regulatory rigour but also signals the project’s national significance.

Approval timelines will now hinge on the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water’s evaluation of potential impacts on matters of national environmental significance. For market observers, the Bungaban referral serves as a leading indicator of how quickly utility-scale storage can move from concept to construction in a policy environment that increasingly treats long-duration firming as infrastructure of national priority.

Read the full report at Energy Storage News.