BY RUBY VAN DE WIJGAART
The Port of Newcastle is the first in the state approved to store grid-scale lithium-ion batteries.
Approval was granted by the NSW Government in late 2025, enabling the port to receive and store the devices for three of the state's largest battery projects -- Origin Energy's Eraring Battery, AGL's Tomago Battery, and Bellambi Heights Battery Energy Storage System.
The projects will gather roughly 1.7 gigawatts of controllable capacity along with 6.8 gigawatts of energy storage, enough to power millions of homes in times of demand.
The complexity of the cargo requires specialist handling and purposely build infrastructure in order to ensure the safety of the product and those tasked to handle the batteries.
CEO Craig Carmody says this approval opens up a pipeline for number of renewable opportunities.
"This is not just important for the port and our diversification strategy," he said.
"This is another way of firming up the energy supply in NSW, it allows these big industrial projects to push ahead."
The port is investing in expanded infrastructure at its Multi Purpose Terminal in Mayfield, actively executing a $36 million waterside berth extension to accommodate larger multipurpose vessels.
