Octopus Australia Expands Renewables Portfolio with 1.2 GW NSW Battery

The Australian arm of Britain’s Octopus Group has strengthened its clean energy footprint with the acquisition of a large-scale battery project in New South Wales and a solar-plus-storage development in Queensland.

NSW 1.2 GW / 4.8 GWh Hanworth BESS

Octopus Australia has acquired the rights to the proposed Hanworth battery energy storage system (BESS) from domestic developer Enervest. The project is sized at 1.2 GW / 4.8 GWh and will be located near Bannaby, west of Bowral, with a grid connection to an existing Transgrid terminal station adjacent to the site.

Once operational, the Hanworth BESS is designed to supply enough electricity to power more than 500,000 homes during evening peak demand. Following the transaction, Octopus Australia will advance the project through planning approvals, grid connection processes, and procurement. Enervest said it will continue to support the project across planning, environmental studies, and community and stakeholder engagement.

Dunmore Solar-Plus-Storage Project

In Queensland, Octopus Australia has acquired the Dunmore hybrid scheme from Samsung C&T’s renewable energy arm. The project will comprise a 300 MW solar photovoltaic plant coupled with a co-located 150 MW / 300 MWh battery near Toowoomba, adding dispatchable renewable capacity to the state’s power mix.

Investment Context and Growing Portfolio

The company said both transactions align with its strategy to invest in assets that combine renewable generation with storage to deliver reliable, round-the-clock clean power. Financial terms of the deals were not disclosed.

Octopus Australia noted that the acquisitions come at a time when investment momentum in Australia’s renewable energy sector has moderated. Despite this, the company continues to expand, with an existing portfolio and development pipeline valued at more than AUD 16 billion across wind, solar, and battery storage projects nationwide.

NSW Push for Grid-Scale Batteries

The latest deal also comes as New South Wales accelerates its build-out of grid-scale storage. The New South Wales government has recently awarded contracts to six large battery projects, including what is claimed to become the country’s largest: the 300 MW / 3,500 MWh Great Western battery being developed by Neoen Australia.

Other projects selected under the tender include the 233 MW / 2,676 MWh Bannaby battery, the 250 MW / 2,414 MWh Bowmans Creek battery, the 158 MW / 1,440 MWh Armidale East battery, the 100 MW / 1,080 MWh Kingswood battery, and the 100 MW / 870 MWh Ebor battery, reinforcing NSW’s position as a national leader in large-scale energy storage deployment.