OptiGrid (a technology provider) has secured a contract to provide trading optimisation services for the Bellambi Heights Battery Energy Storage System in New South Wales, Australia, with developer Vena Energy (independent power producer) choosing the firm following a detailed evaluation process.

Project Scale and Timeline

The Bellambi Heights BESS comprises two adjacent 204 MW units located in Beryl, New South Wales, giving the project a combined capacity of 408 MW. The facility is currently under construction, and Vena Energy expects commercial operation to begin in 2027. The project will participate in Australia's National Electricity Market, known as the NEM.

Platform and Technology

OptiGrid will deploy its OptiBidder platform to manage trading decisions for the Bellambi Heights BESS. The platform uses proprietary AI-powered forecasting and optimisation algorithms to support those decisions.

According to OptiGrid, the platform will optimise and submit bids across energy markets and Frequency Control Ancillary Services markets, responding to market signals as they arise.

The company said that capturing the full value of a battery storage asset of this scale requires not only accurate forecasting but also an optimiser capable of accounting for offtake obligations and relevant operational constraints.

OptiGrid already provides bidding services to a portfolio of hybrid and standalone BESS projects operating within the NEM, experience that Vena Energy cited as a factor in the selection process.

What the Parties Said

Owen Sela, Vena Energy's head of Australia, said the company was pleased to be working with OptiGrid on the project. He noted that OptiGrid's experience optimising battery bidding in the NEM made the firm well suited to a project of this scale.

Sela added that the arrangement would support the battery's role in delivering grid stability and reliability for the region, as well as supporting the integration of more renewable energy into the system.

OptiGrid chief executive Sahand Karimi said the company was delighted to be selected by Vena Energy following what he described as a rigorous, data-driven evaluation.

Karimi emphasised that effective optimisation at the scale of Bellambi Heights demands both precise forecasting capabilities and an optimisation engine that can handle the complexity of offtake obligations and operational constraints simultaneously.

Selection Process

Vena Energy conducted a detailed evaluation before awarding the contract to OptiGrid. Neither company disclosed the specific criteria used in that assessment beyond the references made by Sela and Karimi to the rigour of the process and OptiGrid's demonstrated experience in the NEM.

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