Another privately owned pumped hydro project has emerged in New South Wales as the state continues its search for more long-duration storage, with French energy giant EDF putting its plans for the Wala Wala project in New England before state and federal planning arbiters.
The $1.5 billion project has been initially pitched as a 300 megawatt (MW), 10 hour system downstream from the Dungowan dam and about 45 km southeast of Tamworth, inside the New England renewable energy zone (REZ).
EDF lodged both state and EPBC applications last month, after buying the project off Mirus Energy and Energy Estate in 2023. It intends to use two newly created off-river water reservoirs connected by an underground pipeline and an underground hydro-electric power station.
The proposed start date is currently 2033, as EDF gives itself not quite three years to get approvals in hand and another four-and-a-half years for construction and commissioning.
EDF also has a hand in the 350 MW Lake Lyell project, which is currently responding to submissions, while Yancoal’s similarly-sized $1.8 billion Stratford project was approved in July.
