Quinbrook closes first 250MW stage of the ‘Supernode’ Storage Project at South Pine Substation, Signs Offtake with Origin Energy

Stage one of ‘Supernode’ represents a total investment by Quinbrook of over $325 million, part of a $2.5 billion battery and data centre integrated facility in south-east Queensland. Supernode addresses stability issues facing the Queensland power grid

BRISBANE, QUEENSLAND: AUSTRALIA – 11 April 2024 – Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners (“Quinbrook”), a specialist global investment manager focused exclusively on the infrastructure needed for the energy transition, today announced financial close and the start of construction for the first stage of the ‘Supernode’ project, a 250MW/2hr Battery Energy Storage System (‘BESS’) in Queensland. Origin Energy (Origin) has committed to the full capacity of stage one under a long-term offtake contract.

The Origin offtake agreement represents one of the largest binding BESS offtakes on a MW basis signed to date in Australia between two non-government parties. When operational, the Supernode BESS will enable the efficient storage of surplus solar and wind energy, aid the displacement of coal and other emissions-intensive generation sources and provide grid-support at the central node of the Queensland high voltage transmission network. On completion stage one will represent a total investment by Quinbrook of over $325 million.

The successful close of Supernode stage one is significant for Queensland as it delivers valuable large scale storage at the best possible location in the State’s power grid. Supernode also directly addresses stability issues facing the grid as a result of record levels of rooftop solar installation across Queensland. The South Pine site is a unique and strategic location offering unparalleled power supply access and redundancy and is testament to Quinbrook’s ability to source, fund and develop innovative projects for the benefit of our investors and provide tangible solutions to decarbonise power systems. Origin shares our commitment to lead the energy transition through creative and market leading projects and we look forward to our Supernode partnership.

David Scaysbrook
Co-founder and Managing Partner for Quinbrook

Brian Restall, Managing Director, Regional Leader, Australia of Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners, said: “We are delighted to have closed Supernode’s first stage BESS project after securing an offtake with Origin, Australia’s largest electricity retailer. Supernode has been fully developed by the Quinbrook team, all the way from concept, land acquisition, permitting, procurement and offtake. It is a case study in how we create value for our offtakers and investors alike.

“We are grateful to the Government of Queensland and to City of Moreton Bay who have been instrumental in the success of Supernode to date.”

Speaking on the announcement today, Queensland Premier Steven Miles said: “When we announced this Supernode almost two years ago, I said it showed what the future holds for Queensland’s digital and renewables economy and the creation of knowledge-based jobs.

“Since then, we have made massive strides in making Queensland a clean energy powerhouse, anchored by our revolutionary Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan. The construction of stage one, here in Brendale, is more evidence that business believes in our vision.”

City of Moreton Bay Mayor, Peter Flannery, added: “As SouthEast Queensland’s $40 billion engine room, City of Moreton Bay actively supports projects and investments that yield strong economic benefits and contribute to our goal of creating 100,000 new jobs by 2041.

“Quinbrook’s battery storage system will be one of the largest installations in Australia, bringing economic benefits and offering greater energy security to Queenslanders. I look forward to seeing the project grow and benefit from Brendale’s already strong business ecosystem and smart city infrastructure.”

Greg Jarvis, Origin’s Executive General Manager, Energy Supply & Operations said:

“Origin is pleased to have signed an offtake agreement from the Supernode battery, consistent with our strategy to grow renewables and storage in our portfolio.

“This is the first time Origin has contracted the offtake of a battery, expanding our storage portfolio to 1GW once Supernode and our large-scale batteries at Eraring and Mortlake power stations come online. Storage will play an increasingly important role in the provision of reliable energy supply and we are pleased to be working with Quinbrook to help utilise this additional storage capacity for the market.”

Supernode is a unique integrated hyperscale data centre and large-scale battery storage campus strategically located next to the central node of the Queensland transmission network, the South Pine substation at Brendale near Brisbane. The site has three direct connections into Queensland’s high voltage transmission grid, two dedicated for battery storage and the third for BESS and data centres.

Quinbrook acquired the 30 hectare site at Brendale in 2022 and secured all the required planning permissions for up to 750MW of BESS capacity co-located with a data center campus able to accommodate four hyperscale data centre installations.

Stage one will be delivered in the second half of 2025 with further expansions planned. The project will be delivered using battery cells from a globally leading battery manufacturer paired with inverters supplied and integrated by GE Vernova.

About Quinbrook

Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners is a specialist investment manager focused exclusively on the infrastructure needed to drive the energy transition in the UK, US, and Australia. Quinbrook is led and managed by a senior team of power industry professionals who have collectively invested c.USD 8.2 billion equity in energy infrastructure assets since the early 1990s, representing a total enterprise value of c.USD 28.7 billion or 19.5 GW of power supply capacity. Quinbrook has completed a diverse range of direct investments in both utility and distributed scale onshore wind and solar power, battery storage, reserve peaking capacity, biomass, fugitive methane recovery, hydro and flexible energy management solutions in the UK, US, and Australia. Quinbrook is currently developing and constructing some of the largest renewables and storage infrastructure projects in the UK, US, and Australia. www.quinbrook.com

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Natasha Moldrich

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