SMA Australia has joined Origin Energy and fellow project partners in marking the official opening of Origin’s 300 MW / 650 MWh Mortlake Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in Victoria.
The project features 116 SMA grid-forming battery inverters, enabling grid-forming operation at utility scale.
Connected to the existing AusNet 500 kV switchyard through a dedicated substation, Mortlake demonstrates how advanced inverter technology can enable large-scale batteries not only to store and dispatch energy, but also to provide capabilities designed to support power-system stability and resilience.
Developed by Origin adjacent to its existing Mortlake Power Station in south-west Victoria, the Mortlake BESS was officially opened on 2 September together with project partners and stakeholders.
SMA Australia Managing Director, Sales & Corporate, John Alexander, said Mortlake demonstrated the increasingly important role advanced inverter technology can play as Australia’s electricity system continues to change.
“Mortlake represents an important milestone for Origin and for SMA’s grid-forming technology in Australia, demonstrating its application at utility scale,” Mr Alexander said.
“Integrating grid-forming functionality across a 300 MW battery using 116 SMA inverters and connecting the project to the 500 kV transmission network required detailed power-system modelling and close technical coordination across the project team. It demonstrates the level of collaboration needed to deploy advanced inverter technology successfully at utility scale and enable battery storage to play a more active role in supporting a stable, secure and resilient power system.”
“We are incredibly proud to have worked alongside Origin, Fluence Energy and the wider project team to deliver this important project. Mortlake provides a powerful real-world proof point for SMA’s grid-forming technology in Australia and demonstrates what can be achieved through strong collaboration.”
Unlike conventional grid-following inverters, which synchronise their operation with an existing grid voltage waveform, grid-forming inverters are designed to establish and actively regulate voltage and frequency at their point of connection.
This allows battery projects equipped with grid-forming technology to respond more actively to changing network conditions and provide capabilities that will become increasingly valuable as conventional synchronous generation retires and greater amounts of wind, solar and battery storage enter the National Electricity Market.
“The transition to renewable energy is not simply about building more generation and storage. We also need to ensure the electricity system has the technology required to remain secure, stable and resilient. Power electronics will play an increasingly important role in achieving that. Projects such as Mortlake demonstrate that this capability is available today and can be deployed at the scale required by Australia’s changing power system,” Mr Alexander said.
SMA has more than four decades of experience developing advanced power conversion systems for renewable energy and energy-storage applications globally.
The company sees grid-forming technology as a critical component of the future electricity system, enabling inverter-based resources such as batteries to take on an increasingly active role in supporting secure, stable and reliable grid operation.
“At Mortlake, we can see what this means in practice: advanced power conversion systems connecting a large-scale battery to the transmission network and enabling it to contribute to the operation of the wider electricity system,” he said.
“This is a significant development for SMA in Australia and demonstrates the role our technology can play in supporting Australia’s energy transition.”
About SMA
SMA Australia Pty Ltd is the Australian subsidiary of SMA Solar Technology AG, a global provider of power conversion and control technologies for utility-scale solar, battery energy storage and hybrid energy systems. With more than 156 GW of installed inverter capacity worldwide, including over 10 GW across Australia, SMA supports reliable, secure and resilient renewable energy infrastructure. SMA’s technologies enable advanced grid services that support system stability and the transition to high-renewables power systems, with a strong focus on engineering quality, cybersecurity and secure digital infrastructure.
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