Stats window 29 May 2026 04:00 → 30 May 2026 04:00 AEST
29 May 2026 04:00 → 30 May 2026 04:00 AEST
| Capex total (greenfield) |
$323.30M
How this was derived Reference |
|---|---|
| Capex refurbishment |
—
|
| Capex / MW |
$1,616,500
How this was derived Reference |
| Capex / MWh storage |
$404,125
How this was derived Reference |
| Fixed OPEX (annual) |
$2.56M
How this was derived Reference |
| Fixed OPEX / MW-yr |
$12,800
How this was derived Reference |
| Variable OPEX / MWh |
$0.00
How this was derived Reference |
| Fuel cost / GJ |
—
How this was derived Reference |
| Heat rate GJ/MWh |
—
How this was derived Reference |
Confidence: medium · Status: ai estimated · Capex basis: estimated · AI checked 04 Jun 2026
Notes
No project-specific capex, O&M, revenue contract, supplier, EPC contract, FID, or commissioning notice was found. Financial assumptions therefore use AEMO/Aurecon 2024 Energy Technology Cost and Technical Parameter Review for a 200 MW / 800 MWh, 4-hour lithium-ion BESS. Because Ben Bullen BESS is proposed as part of a wind farm with shared infrastructure, the co-located 200 MW / 800 MWh cost case was used: AUD 313.3m EPC plus AUD 10.0m land/development cost = AUD 323.3m nominal benchmark estimate. If a dedicated grid connection is required, the comparable benchmark would be about AUD 334.1m including land/development. Project identity and scope are verified through NSW Planning Portal and Infrastructure Pipeline. Current public project materials indicate the Ben Bullen Wind Farm is now being developed by Alinta Energy, while earlier infrastructure listings describe it as proposed by Tetris Energy; Alinta’s FY25 Sustainability Report says Tetris Energy is now part of Alinta Energy. For asset life, the financial profile uses the BESS-specific AEMO/Aurecon 20-year economic/design life, with potential extension to about 25 years or later battery upgrades; project-level wind farm materials separately refer to 30+ years or up to 40 years for the overall wind farm. Direct onsite operational emissions are treated as 0 tCO2/MWh for the battery itself, excluding emissions associated with charging electricity.
Ben Bullen BESS is a proposed co-located battery component of the Ben Bullen Wind Farm. Project-specific capex, O&M, financing, EPC contract, battery supplier, augmentation strategy and revenue/fuel-equivalent charging arrangements were not found in public sources. Capex and O&M values are therefore benchmark estimates for a 200 MW / 800 MWh four-hour lithium-ion BESS co-located with a large renewable installation, using Aurecon's 2024 Energy Technology Cost and Technical Parameter Review for AEMO. Estimated capex uses co-located EPC cost of AUD 313.3 million plus AUD 10.0 million land/development cost. Fixed O&M uses Aurecon's four-hour BESS fixed O&M of AUD 12,800/MW-year, equal to AUD 2.56 million/year for 200 MW; a 20-year extended warranty would add about AUD 1.68 million/year, making all-in fixed O&M plus warranty about AUD 4.24 million/year. Variable O&M is not populated because Aurecon states BESS long-term service agreements are not typically based on fixed/variable costs. Efficiency is round-trip efficiency at beginning of life, not thermal efficiency. Direct emissions intensity is treated as zero under NSW EPA firming-infrastructure treatment for BESS; lifecycle and charging-electricity emissions are not included. Project ownership/development appears to have transitioned: NSW SEARs identify Tetris Energy Pty Ltd as proponent in February 2025, while the current project website and April 2026 community update state Alinta Energy is developing the project. Major closure/refurbishment notes: Aurecon assumes 20-year economic/technical life for large-scale LFP BESS, with possible extension to about 25 years after condition assessment and potential life extension with battery upgrades; inverters may require increased corrective maintenance beyond around 20 years. The Ben Bullen project community update states decommissioning or renewal will occur after planned life and that decommissioning costs are borne by the project owner, with a decommissioning security report required as part of the development application.
Ben Bullen BESS is not yet operating and appears to be part of the proposed Ben Bullen Wind Farm. NSW Planning lists status as 'Prepare EIS'. No generator-specific final investment decision, EPC contract, financing announcement, DUID, or commissioning date was found. Capacity/scope is source-backed as 200 MW / 800 MWh in NSW Planning Portal and Infrastructure Pipeline; the NSW SEARs PDF appears to contain a likely typo stating 200 MW / 9000 MWh. Financial assumptions are therefore technology-default estimates for a 200 MW / 4-hour lithium-ion BESS co-located with a renewable installation, using Aurecon/AEMO 2025 cost and technical parameter review values. Capex total uses Aurecon's co-located 200 MW / 800 MWh EPC estimate of AUD 313.3m plus AUD 10.0m land/development allowance. Fixed opex uses Aurecon's 4-hour BESS total annual O&M including extended 20-year warranty: AUD 4.24m/year. Variable O&M is shown as 0 because Aurecon reports BESS long-term service agreements are not typically fixed/variable and gives no variable O&M. Efficiency is beginning-of-life round-trip efficiency at point of connection. Emissions intensity is direct operational onsite combustion only and excludes emissions associated with charging energy. Major closure/refurbishment note: 20-year design/economic life, possible extension to ~25 years subject to condition assessment, and potential life extension via battery upgrades; GHD estimates retirement for a 200 MW / 4-hour BESS at AUD 94,000/MW and retirement duration of about 32 weeks demolition/dismantling plus mobilisation/demobilisation allowance.
Ben Bullen BESS is a proposed 200 MW / 800 MWh battery within the Ben Bullen Wind Farm project, which is still in early development / Prepare EIS and has no AEMO DUID or generator-specific capex/O&M disclosure found. Current developer/owner information indicates Alinta Energy is developing Ben Bullen after acquiring Tetris Energy / Alinta Energy (TE). Financial values are not reported for Ben Bullen; they are estimated from the Economic Regulation Authority / GHD 2027-28 Benchmark Reserve Capacity Price report for a hypothetical 200 MW / 800 MWh LFP BESS. That benchmark is WA/SWIS-specific and includes 330 kV connection, land, indirect costs and contingency, so it may not match Ben Bullen's NSW/NEM network connection, co-location, shared substation or procurement scope. Capex is the GHD report's nominal Q4 2024 estimate, not escalated to 2027. Fixed O&M is also from the same WA benchmark and includes BESS/substation/BoP maintenance, transmission connection asset maintenance, transmission network charges, corporate overheads, security and local government rates. Variable O&M is set to zero based on Aurecon/AEMO commentary that BESS long-term service agreements typically do not have variable costs; battery cycling degradation/replacement may still be economically material but was not expressed as a variable $/MWh cost. Efficiency uses AEMO's commonly modelled 85% round-trip efficiency for grid-scale batteries, not a Ben Bullen equipment guarantee. Direct operational emissions intensity is treated as zero because the BESS has no on-site combustion fuel; lifecycle emissions and charging-energy emissions are excluded. Project-specific refurbishment, augmentation, closure or module replacement details were not found. Bathurst Council material refers to 35 years operational life for the overall Ben Bullen wind project; AEMO IASR uses a 20-year technical life for large-scale batteries, so 20 years is used for the BESS financial assumption while noting the broader project may have a longer planning life.