Akaysha Energy (renewable energy company) has brought its Orana battery energy storage system in New South Wales to commercial operations, marking the company's fourth large-scale battery project and lifting its total operational capacity beyond 4 GWh.

Project Specifications and Location

The Orana BESS, situated two kilometres north-east of Wellington in New South Wales, carries a capacity of 415 MW and can deliver up to four hours of energy storage, translating to 1,660 MWh of total energy capacity.

The facility sits within the Central West Orana Renewable Energy Zone, a designated area forecast to host 3,000MW of new wind and solar generation.

Virtual Tolling Agreement with EnergyAustralia

Central to the project's commercial structure is a virtual tolling agreement between Akaysha Energy and EnergyAustralia, under which 200MW of the battery's capacity is contractually secured.

Signed two years before the project reached commercial operations, the agreement enables EnergyAustralia to notionally charge and discharge a 200 MW virtual battery within pre-agreed bidding parameters, independent of the physical operation of the asset by Akaysha.

The arrangement allows EnergyAustralia to access market benefits associated with large-scale battery storage, including rapid dispatch and arbitrage, without needing to physically own or operate the battery.

Tony Fullelove, Managing Director for APAC at Akaysha Energy, described the structure as providing EnergyAustralia with fast-response capacity and greater flexibility, while supporting firming capacity and grid reliability in the New South Wales electricity system.

Daniel Nugent, Trading and Transition Executive at EnergyAustralia, said the virtual tolling agreement gives the company access to a large-scale battery's firming capability and the ability to absorb renewable energy that would otherwise be wasted.

Nugent described the model as one that helps get batteries financed and built and gets more storage into the market sooner, noting it forms part of a broader portfolio mix for the company.

Government Support and Contract Framework

The Orana BESS was awarded a Long-Term Energy Service Agreement in the New South Wales Roadmap Tender Round 2 in November 2023. That tender round also served as a pilot for the Commonwealth's Capacity Investment Scheme.

Long-Term Energy Service Agreements offer projects the right to access minimum cash flows for periods within a long contract term, a mechanism designed to reduce price uncertainty for investors and bring forward investment in new renewable energy projects.

Akaysha Energy acknowledged support received from the Commonwealth of Australia under the Capacity Investment Scheme in connection with the Orana project.

Delivery Partners

Akaysha Energy credited a number of partners with ensuring the project was delivered on time and on budget. Consolidated Power Projects Australia, Transgrid, and Tesla were named among the key project delivery partners.

The company also noted that transformers for the project were sourced from Australian manufacturers Tyree Transformers and Wilson Transformer Company.

Company Milestone

The Orana BESS is Akaysha Energy's fourth large-scale battery project to reach commercial operations. With its commissioning, the company's total operational battery energy storage capacity has exceeded 4 GWh.

Akaysha Energy describes itself as a market leader in large-scale battery energy storage systems. The company previously announced a 15-year virtual tolling agreement with Snowy Hydro for its Elaine BESS in September 2025 and secured a USD 300 million corporate debt facility in the same month.

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