Documents Regarding The St Marys Community Battery Project.
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The disclosure contains a letter of support from three NSW distribution network service providers (Ausgrid, Endeavour Energy, Essential Energy) dated 30 November 2023, addressed to ARENA's CEO regarding collaboration on community battery innovation and ARENA's Community Batteries Funding Round 1. The DNSPs outline their commitment to knowledge sharing on community-scale battery storage, emphasizing benefits including enhanced grid flexibility, increased solar hosting capacity, renewable energy access, improved power quality, and network constraint solutions. The letter describes ongoing collaborative work across NSW DNSPs and with Energy Networks Australia to develop technical specifications and industry frameworks for deploying community batteries at scale across different use cases. The document appears incomplete, with only partial pages of an ARENA full application included. No specific St Marys project details, environmental assessment data, EPBC Act context, or quantified environmental impacts are evident in the released excerpts.
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LEX-83047 Document 1 1 of 1 Page 1 of 1    30 November 2023 Mr Darren Miller Chief Executive Officer, Australian Renewable Energy Agency via online submission Dear Mr Miller, # **Letter of support: Continuing collaboration on community battery innovation** As the three NSW distribution network service providers (DNSPs), we are pleased to confirm our ongoing commitment to working collaboratively on community battery knowledge sharing activities, including the Australian Renewable Energy Agency's (ARENA) Community Batteries Funding Round 1. Alignment of understanding and experience of community scale battery storage is imperative to delivery consistent outcomes for customers in the regions we serve. # **Collaborating for shared success** We collaborate and undertake regular knowledge exchanges because of the value for our customers and to ensure the efficient exploration of an emerging technology like community batteries. Community batteries play a crucial role in enhancing grid flexibility and promoting a more sustainable and efficient energy system. Delivering these batteries at scale will help communities realise shared benefits from greater solar hosting capacity, access to renewable energy and a stronger network to support more connections, including rooftop solar and electric vehicle charging. Further, this technology will help solve local issues, such as power quality issues, network constraints, allowing more local solar onto the local network, and helping the whole system accommodate more renewables. Our work includes working with other jurisdictions via Energy Networks Australia to develop community battery guidelines, including technical specifications and an industry framework to deploy these community batteries across different use cases and at scale. Together, NSW DNSPs are working collaboratively to improve the understanding of the current benefits and barriers to further unlocking value from community batteries and scalability of these solutions. Going forward these collaboration opportunities will grow, and we would welcome ARENA's involvement in our knowledge sharing activities as it considers appropriate. # **Staying connected** Should you wish to discuss this Letter of Support, please contact: - Ausgrid: Felix Keck, A/Head of Distributed Energy Storage at felix.keck@ausgrid.com.au. - Endeavour Energy: James Hazelton, Future Grid Strategy Manager at james.hazelton@endeavourenergy.com.au - Essential Energy: Marc Thiebaut, Head of Strategy at marc.thiebaut@essentialenergy.com.au Yours sincerely, Marc England Chief Executive Officer **Ausgrid** Guy Chalkley Chief Executive Officer **Endeavour Energy** John Cleland Chief Executive Officer **Essential Energy** Released under the FOI Act 1982 LEX-83047 Document 5 1 of 2 ARENA  Australian Government Australian Renewable Energy Agency ## Full Application | **Project No:** | LP004 | | --- | --- | | **Applicant Name:** | Endeavour Energy Network Management Pty Ltd | | **Project Title:** | Endeavour Energy, Network Area, Community Battery Deployment | | **ARENA Program:** | Community Batteries Funding Round 1 | | **Technology:** | Lithium ion battery / Community battery | ### Brief Project Description The proposed project will deploy batteries to benefit communities through improved self-consumption of rooftop solar, increased hosting capacity of Endeavour Energy's network, and improved power quality. The batteries will be connected to the low-voltage distribution network. The project intends to enable individual customers to participate in community batteries through a retail partner (subject to confirmation with retail partner). In this project, Endeavour proposes: - 32 community batteries at 32 individual connection points - 3.4 MW and 8.0 MWh of battery capacity - $13,466,574 total project value - $6,717,678 requested grant funding (49.9% of total project value) The proposed locations for the batteries are spread across several locations within Endeavour's network, including Western Sydney, the Illawarra, and South Coast. The proposed locations are typically areas where the growth of distributed solar generation is likely to put stress on the distribution network. ### Brief Company Description (Including Related Organisations) Endeavour Energy Network Management Pty Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavour Energy. Endeavour Energy is the regulated Distribution Network Service Provider (DNSP) responsible for building, maintaining and operating an electricity network that connects 2.7 million people to traditional and renewable energy sources in homes and businesses across Sydney's Greater West, the Blue Mountains, Southern Highlands, the Illawarra and the South Coast. ### Collaborative Partner/s - Commercial partner – To be determined pending consultation and negotiation now underway - Battery supplier – To be determined pending Request for Tender evaluation ### Director/s - Cheryl Bart AO (Independent Chair) - Kieran Zubrinich - David Baldwin - David Bartholomew - Lincoln Webb - Trevor Danos AM Released under the FOI Act 1982 LEX-83047 Document 5 2 of 2 ARENA  Australian Government Australian Renewable Energy Agency - Dr. Marlene Kanga AO - Claudia Bels Shareholder/s - State of NSW (owned through ERIC under Electricity Retained Interest Corporations Act 2015) - Macquarie Asset Management - British Columbia Investment Management Corporation - Qatar Investment Authority List of other organisations involved in, or to benefit from, the project - Various local councils are expected to be involved | ARENA PROJECT MANAGER | | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Name | Office Location (city) | Mobile Telephone | Attendance (in person or telephone) | | Tom Connell | Sydney | | | | APPLICANT PRESENTERS | | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Name | Company, Position | Mobile Telephone | Attendance (in person or telephone) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Released under the FOI Act 1982 LEX-69947 Document 7 1 of 8 # Endeavour Energy Network Area Community Battery Deployment Knowledge Sharing Compliance 27/03/24  Released under the FOI Act 1982 Endeavour Energy POWER together LEX-83047 Document 7 2 of 8 # Knowledge Sharing Plan ## 1.1 Knowledge sharing objectives This Project will deliver the following knowledge sharing outcomes: - Demonstrating network and customer benefits of community batteries. - Enhancing community awareness, understanding and social acceptance of community batteries. - Testing consumer participation in community battery projects. - Learning from implementation partners to accelerate the installation and reduce the development cost of future community battery projects. - Building an evidence-base for the use cases for and value proposition of distribution-connected community batteries - Accelerating community batteries' path to commercialisation and bankability. - The Project will deliver the following outcomes: - Insights on the most effective criteria for site selection, applicable to all future distribution storage programs. Of specific interest is the sensitivity to major siting factors such as network need and market interaction, and the relative coincidence and co-optimisation of multiple value streams. - Increased understanding of the cost, technical performance, and benefit of distribution-connected community batteries as a relatively new asset class. - Any emergent project management risks encountered and how programs could be better designed to account for these. - Any emergent community engagement challenges or issues encountered, their resolution and recommendations on how future programs could benefit from knowledge gained. - Improved understanding of customer value proposition for these assets, and viability and potential models for integration into network planning or non-network solutions. - Increased public visibility and awareness of connection capacity of distribution connected storage. - Transparency for stakeholders and participants, increasing trust in the program. ## 1.2 Knowledge sharing stakeholders/target audiences - Other distribution network service providers - Electricity retailers - Regulators - Industry groups i.e., Energy Networks Australia - Battery suppliers - Insurers - Customers - General public ## 1.3 Knowledge Sharing Agent Endeavour will comply with the requirements of the Knowledge Sharing Agent provided during the Funding Agreement negotiations. ## 1.4 Knowledge Sharing Deliverables Anticipated budget of: $104,036 ### Knowledge sharing activities Public dissemination of network opportunity information that assists non-DNSP led development of community batteries: Released under the FOI Act 1982 LEX-83047 Document 7 3 of 8 - Endeavour Energy is willing to collaborate on non-DNSP led community battery development by sharing necessary network opportunity information. - Each year, Endeavour publishes its Distribution Annual Planning Report (DAPR) and planning map which is available for public access. This report identifies future limitations on Endeavour Energy's electricity network, includes planning information for all assets and activities, and informs the public of network opportunities. - The development and implementation of our inaugural Customer Energy Resources (CER) Integration Strategy, relating to the FY25-29 Regulatory Control Period, has estimated future solar hosting capacity of the network and the value of otherwise curtailed exports over the long-term planning horizon. - Endeavour is actively considering how this granular information from the CER Integration Strategy can be incorporated in the DAPR and planning map, or alternatively be provided on a RFI basis under connection processes for non-DNSP proponents of community batteries. - We will work with stakeholders to ensure the process to share this information is both valuable for applicants and manageable for Endeavour, and importantly use the opportunity to ensure it complements existing programs. - The Project anticipates sharing the following lessons learned in the following deliverables in the Table below: Technical lessons learned and deliverables | Technical lessons learned | | | --- | --- | | - **Site selection methodology lessons learned** - Suitability of and/or challenges with the battery site prioritisation and feasibility screening applied at the outset of the project. | - To be summarised in Deliverable KS8 – Final Project Knowledge Sharing Report - Any individual challenges potentially to be identified on ad hoc basis in semi-annual Deliverable KS2 – Lessons Learned reports. | | **Installation and commissioning lessons learned** Endeavour Energy seeks to engage all project design stakeholders to encourage early design and construction improvements. These considerations will help facilitate successful project implementation by limiting unforeseen schedule and cost overruns. These lessons learned will not only be used to improve the installation and commissioning of subsequent Endeavour Energy community battery projects but will also be disseminated to the broader market where commercial confidentiality permits. | Some example insights from previous Endeavour Energy Low Voltage Battery projects include: - Provide battery OEM with Underground Technical Briefings related to Mains Design to ensure cabling is appropriately selected for electrical and mechanical use case (i.e., standard voltage requirements and cable routes by incorporating flexible stranded cable). - Establish requirements with battery OEM for eliminating water ingress and retention in equipment housings. - Ensure distribution board equipment designs include appropriate installation fittings such as lifting rings, cabinet locks (installation safety). - Implement adequate pre-installation testing on distribution board phasing and phase marker indicators. - Seek designs which include a conduit between the switchboard and battery culverts to facilitate future cables and potential site expansion. - Communicate the purpose of split slabs for batteries and MSBs; avoids additional design requirements and allows installation flexibility for site where MSB and batteries cannot be adjacent. | Released under the FOI Act 1982 LEX-83047 Document 7 4 of 8 Released under the FOI Act 1982 | | - Ensure all components are designed and supplied specifically to Australian Standards, especially all battery limit interfaces. Based on lessons learned where a European GPO unit was unintentionally supplied to an installation site. | | --- | --- | | - **Planned vs actual network benefit data:** - Constraint forecast (network value forecast) at confirmed battery sites, based on Endeavour's DER Integration Strategy hosting capacity analysis. - Actual dispatch activity of installed batteries. Objective to share with an academic research partner after 6 months operation of the entire battery fleet (interim data); and after 12 months operation of the entire battery fleet (full 12-month data). Lessons learned expected to be shared to the broader industry via research publications and associated summaries. | - May be published in Deliverable KS5 – Technical Report 1 (Barriers to commercialisation and capability building); and/or in Deliverable KS6 – Technical Report 2 (How the community battery impacts the local network and local community). - Potential for summary of this data also to be published in Deliverable KS6 – Technical Report 2 (How the local network and local community benefits from the battery). | | - **Actual per-kW/per-kWh total installation cost** (i.e. total non-battery-purchase costs) - Lessons learned concerning planning for and operating batteries as non-network solutions or flexible resources for future network needs. | - To be published in Deliverable KS5 – Technical Report 1 (Barriers to commercialisation and capability building). | | **Regulatory lessons learned** | | | - Summary of the ratio of battery operation for direct control and other distribution services as a share of total battery operation. | - To published following project completion (e.g. 12 months after battery fleet is fully commissioned). Potential to provide data within a collaboration with an academic research partner; and/or via Endeavour's Retailer Reference Group and/or ENA community of practice sessions. | | **Engagement/consumer lessons learned** | | | - **Council reception of batteries and engagement learnings:** Assess approach to engaging local government in the advancement of these technologies. - **Design of community engagement to facilitate local energy infrastructure:** Assess community reception of the battery proposals in the context of the engagement design and strategies, particularly with respect to whole-of-community response (beyond the subset of interested/ participating residents). - **Sharing learnings on engagement design and materials:** To enhance community understanding of the role of renewable technologies | - To be provided in Deliverable KS6 – Technical Report 2 (How the community battery impacts the local network and local community) at the end of the project; and/or in Deliverable KS8. | | - [Subject to confirming direct customer enrolment program] - **Extent of interest from local residents for direct participation program** - Including number of expressions of interest, and rate of conversion to full enrolment. Potential to analyse these data by ownership of home PV, socioeconomic status, energy | - To be provided in Deliverable KS6 – Technical Report 2 (How the community battery impacts the local network and local community) at the end of the project; and/or in Deliverable KS8. | LEX-83047 Document 7 5 of 8 | usage profile. Insights can also be disseminated as appropriate via Endeavour's Retailer Reference Group, and through Energy Charter forums and ENA community of practice sessions. | | | --- | --- | | - **Commercial lessons** | | | - TBC | - TBC | Released under the FOI Act 1982 LEX-83047 Document 7 6 of 8 ## 1.5 ARENA Knowledge Sharing Deliverables Knowledge sharing deliverables | No. | Deliverable title | Purpose | Frequency | When? | Accessibility | Content and delivery | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | ARENA 15-minute Project survey | Efficient qualitative and quantitative data gathering. ARENA may use this information in anonymised portfolio analysis and reporting. | Quarterly | From Commencement Date to the Final Milestone Date | Recipient Confidential Information | ARENA to provide link to survey each quarter. | | 2 | Lessons Learned Report | To share key lessons from the Project and implications for industry. | Frequency to be based on milestones. However, no less than every 6 months. | From Commencement Date [or the later of the Commencement Date or Financial Close] to the Final Milestone Date | Public | Public report to be published on ARENA Knowledge Bank, and/or on a public platform determined by ARENA. Any sensitive information (information not for public release) can be included as a confidential addendum for ARENA (as Recipient Confidential Information). | | 3 | Public communications | Website news updates and social media posts to showcase the journey and findings of the project Endeavours existing communication channels. Information brochures to develop publicly facing information to raise community awareness regarding the potential for community batteries in reducing customer bills, alleviating network constraints and emissions reduction with a strong emphasis on safety considerations. | Up to twice per year, as agreed with ARENA | As agreed with ARENA | Public | Website news updates, social media posts and community presentations in Endeavour's communication channels. Arrangements can be made to complement ARENA's communication channels. | Released under the FOI Act 1982 LEX-83047 Document 7 7 of 8 | No. | Deliverable title | Purpose | Frequency | When? | Accessibility | Content and delivery | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 4 | Final knowledge sharing report | Final project knowledge sharing report to document and disseminate the Project outcomes from a knowledge sharing perspective. | Once | At the time of final project report | Public | Public report to be published on ARENA Knowledge Bank, and/or on a public platform determined by ARENA. | | 5 | Attendance and participation in ARENA-led event (webinar, workshop or roundtable) | Share Project information with other ARENA funded Projects and key stakeholders. | Up to three each year, as agreed with ARENA. | From Commencement Date to 6 months following the Final Milestone Date. | Agreed at time of event. | Recipient to provide documentation (i.e., slides, word document, pdf etc) to ARENA following attendance, to contain sufficient information to be read as a standalone document. | | 6. | Attendance and participation in industry event i.e., Energy Networks Australia (ENA) community practice sessions | Project exposure, knowledge dissemination. | Minimum one per year, as agreed with ARENA. | From Commencement Date to 6 months following the Final Milestone Date. | Agreed at time of event. | As agreed with ARENA, at industry conferences or events with high attendance from target audience. | | 7 | Publication of network constraints map | Engagement of non-DNSP battery developers for knowledge sharing | Once | From Commencement Date to 6 months following the Final Milestone Date. | Public | Publication of a network constraints map where third-party BESS developers can respond to opportunities and provide non-network solutions to Endeavour. Format to be agreed with ARENA. | ## 1.6 Knowledge Sharing Compliance Endeavour Energy accept the requirements of the Knowledge Sharing Plan as outlined in the *Advancing Renewables Program: Program Guidelines, July 2020*. Released under the FOI Act 1982 LEX-83947 Document 7 5 of 8 endeavourenergy.com.au Released under the FOI Act 1982 Endeavour Energy POWER together Fill in grey fields ONLY Enter the Application Reference # LPDDR # Community Batteries Round 1 | Batteries # | SW | SN% | HTM / FTM | Postcode | State | OMSP | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | 200 | 500 | FTM | 2160 | New South Wales | Endurance Energy | | 2 | 200 | 500 | FTM | 2080 | New South Wales | Endurance Energy | | 3 | 200 | 500 | FTM | 2520 | New South Wales | Endurance Energy | | 4 | 200 | 500 | FTM | 2737 | New South Wales | Endurance Energy | | 5 | 200 | 500 | FTM | 2761 | New South Wales | Endurance Energy | | 6 | 200 | 500 | FTM | 2804 | New South Wales | Endurance Energy | | 7 | 200 | 500 | FTM | 2761 | New South Wales | Endurance Energy | | 8 | 200 | 500 | FTM | 2502 | New South Wales | Endurance Energy | | 9 | 200 | 500 | FTM | 2666 | New South Wales | Endurance Energy | | 10 | 200 | 500 | FTM | 2528 | New South Wales | Endurance Energy | | 11 | 200 | 500 | FTM | 2761 | New South Wales | Endurance Energy | | 12 | 200 | 500 | FTM | 2117 | New South Wales | Endurance Energy | | 13 | 50 | 500 | FTM | 2160 | New South Wales | Endurance Energy | | 14 | 50 | 100 | FTM | 2540 | New South Wales | Endurance Energy | | 15 | 50 | 100 | FTM | 2510 | New South Wales | Endurance Energy | | 16 | 50 | 100 | FTM | 2486 | New South Wales | Endurance Energy | | 17 | 50 | 100 | FTM | 2180 | New South Wales | Endurance Energy | | 18 | 50 | 100 | FTM | 2470 | New South Wales | Endurance Energy | | 19 | 50 | 100 | FTM | 2529 | New South Wales | Endurance Energy | | 20 | 50 | 100 | FTM | 2604 | New South Wales | Endurance Energy | | 21 | 50 | 100 | FTM | 2517 | New South Wales | Endurance Energy | | 22 | 50 | 100 | FTM | 2486 | New South Wales | Endurance Energy | | 23 | 50 | 100 | FTM | 2540 | New South Wales | Endurance Energy | | 24 | 50 | 100 | FTM | 2540 | New South Wales | Endurance Energy | | 25 | 50 | 100 | FTM | 2145 | New South Wales | Endurance Energy | | 26 | 50 | 100 | FTM | 2148 | New South Wales | Endurance Energy | | 27 | 50 | 100 | FTM | 2040 | New South Wales | Endurance Energy | | 28 | 50 | 100 | FTM | 2520 | New South Wales | Endurance Energy | | 29 | 50 | 100 | FTM | 2516 | New South Wales | Endurance Energy | | 30 | 50 | 100 | FTM | 2529 | New South Wales | Endurance Energy | | 31 | 50 | 100 | FTM | 2664 | New South Wales | Endurance Energy | | 32 | 50 | 100 | FTM | 2168 | New South Wales | Endurance Energy | | 33 | | | | | | | | 34 | | | | | | | | 35 | | | | | | | | 36 | | | | | | | | 37 | | | | | | | | 38 | | | | | | | | 39 | | | | | | | | 40 | | | | | | | | 41 | | | | | | | | 42 | | | | | | | | 43 | | | | | | | | 44 | | | | | | | | 45 | | | | | | | | 46 | | | | | | | | 47 | | | | | | | | 48 | | | | | | | | 49 | | | | | | | | 50 | | | | | | | | 51 | | | | | | | | 52 | | | | | | | | 53 | | | | | | | | 54 | | | | | | | | 55 | | | | | | | | 56 | | | | | | | | 57 | | | | | | | | 58 | | | | | | | | 59 | | | | | | | | 60 | | | | | | | | 61 | | | | | | | | 62 | | | | | | | | 63 | | | | | | | | 64 | | | | | | | | 65 | | | | | | | | 66 | | | | | | | | 67 | | | | | | | | 68 | | | | | | | | 69 | | | | | | | | 70 | | | | | | | | 71 | | | | | | | | 72 | | | | | | | | 73 | | | | | | | | 74 | | | | | | | | 75 | | | | | | | | 76 | | | | | | | | 77 | | | | | | | | 78 | | | | | | | | 79 | | | | | | | | 80 | | | | | | | | 81 | | | | | | | | 82 | | | | | | | | 83 | | | | | | | | 84 | | | | | | | | 85 | | | | | | | | 86 | | | | | | | | 87 | | | | | | | | 88 | | | | | | | | 89 | | | | | | | | 90 | | | | | | | | 91 | | | | | | | | 92 | | | | | | | | 93 | | | | | | | | 94 | | | | | | | | 95 | | | | | | | | 96 | | | | | | | | 97 | | | | | | | | 98 | | | | | | | | 99 | | | | | | | | 100 | | | | | | | Released under the FOI Act 1982