Eku Energy's 2.4GWh Twin BESS Push Reveals a Smart Standardization Strategy Reshaping Australian Storage
When a developer submits two identical battery projects on opposite sides of a continent, it's not a coincidence — it's a strategy. Eku Energy has filed environmental assessments for two 300MW/1,200MWh BESS projects under Australia's EPBC Act: Tramway Road in Victoria's Gippsland region and Wongalea near Armidale in New South Wales. Together, they represent 2,400MWh of storage capacity — and a standardized battery storage project development approach that could accelerate Australia's energy transition.
Identical Twins, Different States
Both Tramway Road and Wongalea share precisely the same technical configuration: 300MW power output, 1,200MWh storage capacity, and a 4-hour discharge duration. This is no accident. Eku Energy — jointly owned by Macquarie Asset Management and British Columbia Investment Management Corporation — has deliberately adopted a standardized project template that can be replicated across jurisdictions.
The Tramway Road project occupies a 152-hectare site within Victoria's Gippsland Renewable Energy Zone, connecting to the existing Hazelwood Terminal Station via a 500kV overhead line. It has already secured planning approval through Victoria's Development Facilitation Program, with construction potentially starting in late 2026. Wongalea spans 137 hectares in northern NSW and will connect to Transgrid's Armidale Substation through a 1.5km underground 132kV cable — a design choice that minimizes visual impact and land-use conflict.
Why Standardization Wins in Battery Development
The logic behind standardized battery storage project development is compelling. By repeating the same 300MW/1,200MWh specification, Eku Energy reduces engineering design costs, streamlines procurement, and — critically — simplifies the due diligence process for infrastructure investors. When every project follows the same template, financiers can underwrite with greater confidence, accelerating the path from development approval to financial close. Visit our store to learn how modular LiFePO4 battery systems can bring similar standardization benefits to projects of any scale.
A Portfolio Built on Repeatability
Eku's approach extends well beyond these two projects. The developer currently has the 250MW/500MWh Williamsdale BESS under construction, plus six additional projects in various stages of development — with most built to the same 300MW/1,200MWh configuration. The Griffith BESS in NSW, originally designed at 800MWh, was expanded to 1,000MWh at 10-hour duration after securing an LDES Long-Term Energy Service Agreement from AEMO Services.
CEO Daniel Burrows has publicly framed the strategy around attracting infrastructure capital — the kind of patient, long-horizon money that pension funds and sovereign wealth funds deploy. Standardized, replicable projects are precisely what institutional investors look for when allocating to the energy storage sector.
EPBC Act: The Environmental Gateway
Both projects are now navigating the EPBC Act referral process, which has become a standard pathway for standalone battery developments on modified agricultural land. Tramway Road's 22.74-hectare disturbance footprint sits on agricultural land more than 500 meters from the nearest dwelling, with no declared irrigation district or state-significant landscape values triggering additional review. Wongalea's actual disturbance is expected to cover only about 10 hectares, with temporary construction areas returned to grazing use afterward.
This careful site selection — avoiding areas of high conservation value — is itself part of the standardization playbook. By choosing sites with minimal environmental sensitivity, Eku reduces approval risk and timeline uncertainty, two of the biggest variables in project development.
Infrastructure Capital Meets Battery Storage
Eku Energy's Macquarie-BCI ownership structure gives it access to infrastructure capital pools that most pure-play battery developers can only envy. The company doesn't need to raise project-level debt and equity for each development; it can fund a portfolio of standardized projects from a common capital base, deploying capital when and where returns are most attractive.
As Australia races toward its 82% renewable electricity target by 2030, the need for storage is unambiguous. Eku Energy's twin EPBC submissions suggest that the industry's answer won't be a patchwork of bespoke projects but a fleet of standardized, financeable, rapidly deployable storage assets — and that's exactly what the grid needs. Explore our collection of AGAIC POWER battery solutions engineered for reliability and repeatability.
