
AEMO grid connection team on a roll
Published Date : 2025-May-21, Wednesday
It seems the AEMO connections department has taken to
drinking extra-strong coffee lately with a recent burst of 5.3.4A letters
issued to renewable energy generation projects.
Last week Elgin Energy’s Elaine Hybrid Renewable Energy Project was issued the approval letter, which “confirms that the project meets the latest technical requirements for grid connection under the National Electricity Market (NEM) framework”.
Located near the Elaine Terminal Station in regional Victoria, the project comprises a 150 MW DC solar farm featuring approximately 230,000 panels and a 125 MW AC battery energy storage system to be installed on around 243 hectares of land.
SMA, which will supply its Hybrid Power Plant Manager, Sunny Central PV inverters and Sunny Central Storage battery inverters to the project, said Elaine was the “first hybrid development to utilise SMA’s cutting-edge grid-forming inverters”.
SMA will also supply its inverter technology for Elements Green’s Eurimbula Solar Farm and BESS project, located in the proposed Central Queensland Renewable Energy Zone around 50km south-east of Gladstone, which also recently gained its 5.3.4A letter from AEMO.
With capacities of 696 MW DC of solar and 666 MW / 1332 MWh of battery storage, Elements Green said Eurimbula was Australia’s largest hybrid project to achieve 5.3.4A approval.
The company noted “technical work from its key partners at EPEC and SMA, and the continued support from Gladstone Regional Council and the Queensland State Government.”
Risen Energy Australia reported this week it received a 5.3.4A Letter for its Coleambally BESS, “allowing the project to proceed towards finalizing connection agreements and commencing construction”.
Coleambally BESS will be a 100 MW / 400 MWh lithium-ion battery system located approximately 9km north-east of Coleambally in New South Wales, adjacent to Transgrid’s existing Coleambally sub-station and Neoen’s generating 150 MW Coleambally Solar Farm.