Orana BESS reaches COD as Akaysha surpasses 4GWh in operations
Melbourne, Australia – 30 June 2026 – Akaysha Energy, a market-leader in large-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS), is pleased to announce that its Orana BESS has reached commercial operations date (COD) bringing the company’s total operational battery energy storage capacity to over 4GWh.
The Orana BESS, which has a capacity of 415MW and can provide up to four hours or 1660MWh of energy storage, is located in New South Wales, two kilometres north-east of Wellington within the Central West Orana Renewable Energy Zone (REZ). This REZ is forecast to host 3,000MW of new wind and solar generation.
Akaysha Energy has a virtual tolling agreement (VTA) in place with EnergyAustralia, under which 200MW of capacity is contractually secured. The Orana BESS will support Akaysha’s position under the VTA. Signed two years ago, the VTA enables EnergyAustralia to notionally “charge” and “discharge” a 200MW ‘virtual battery’ within pre-agreed bidding parameters, independent of the physical operation of the asset by Akaysha. The unique structure of a VTA will allow EnergyAustralia to secure the market benefits of battery capabilities, such as rapid dispatch and arbitrage, without needing to physically own or operate the battery.
Commenting on the Orana BESS, Tony Fullelove, Managing Director of Development and Delivery at Akaysha Energy, said:
“The Orana BESS is set to play a major role in supporting firming capacity and grid reliability, allowing more renewable energy to be integrated into the NSW electricity system. The virtual tolling agreement for the Orana BESS gives EnergyAustralia access to the market benefits of large-scale battery storage, including fast-response capacity and greater flexibility.”
“We acknowledge the support received for the project from the Commonwealth of Australia under the Capacity Investment Scheme and would like to thank our key project delivery partners, Consolidated Power Projects Australia, Transgrid, Tesla, and our Australian manufactured transformers from Tyree Transformers, and Wilson Transformer Company, who each played an important role in ensuring the Orana BESS was delivered on time and on budget.”
Commenting on the Orana BESS, Daniel Nugent, Trading & Transition Executive, EnergyAustralia, said:
"Our virtual tolling agreement with Akaysha gives us access to a large-scale battery's firming capability and the ability to soak up renewable energy that would otherwise be wasted, without owning or operating the asset ourselves. As part of a portfolio mix, it's a model that helps get batteries financed and built and gets more storage into the market sooner.”
The Orana BESS was awarded a Long-Term Energy Service Agreement (LTESA) in the NSW Roadmap Tender Round 2 in November 2023, which was also a pilot for the Commonwealth’s Capacity Investment Scheme tender. LTESAs offer projects such as the Orana BESS the right to access minimum cash flows for periods within a long contract term, which reduces price uncertainty for investors and brings forward investment in new sources of renewable energy projects.