For around a century, coal-fired power plants have provided Australians with reliable, affordable energy, improving our quality of life and supporting the nation’s economic development. As the world moves to cleaner forms of energy, EnergyAustralia wants to lead and accelerate this transformation.
Energy storage is a vital part of this puzzle. It supports renewable energy sources such as solar or wind by capturing energy when renewable supply is plentiful and storing it for use when needed.
Pumped hydro is a proven and reliable form of energy storage, allowing energy to be stored for longer than most current battery technologies.
It works by using two reservoirs of water – one up high and one down low to store energy and generate electricity. When solar and wind power is plentiful, this energy is used to pump water from the lower reservoir to the upper reservoir.
When energy is needed, the water from the upper reservoir is released back into the lower reservoir turning turbines which generate electricity. This electricity is sent to the grid for use in homes and businesses.
Fresh water pumped hydro has been used around the world and is a proven, reliable, and sustainable technology. In fact, the Shoalhaven and Wivenhoe pumped hydro schemes have operated for decades on the east coast of Australia.
Along with other forms of storage, pumped hydro will be an important part of integrating more renewable power and delivering a reliable and affordable supply of electricity to NSW.
The Lake Lyell Pumped Hydro Project is in the early stages of development - the assessment of its feasibility will take up to two years.
Having already been implemented in various locations around the world and in other parts of the Australian east coast, we know fresh water pumped hydro is a proven, reliable, and sustainable technology.
It’s our commitment to develop and design the Lake Lyell Pumped Hydro Project in consultation with the local community – to maintain Lake Lyell as an accessible recreational area, and to co-create a range of new community benefits. And more widely, this project will be an important part of integrating more renewable power and delivering a reliable and affordable supply of electricity to NSW, and helping address Australia’s climate change goals.
