Value

Project Overview

The Eraring BESS facility represents one of the most significant storage investments in Australia, developed on the site of the country’s largest power station. With Stage 1 (EB1) reaching operational test status in March 2025, charging and discharging energy into the National Electricity Market (NEM), the project is a cornerstone of New South Wales’ clean energy transition. In fact, it is currently the largest BESS development in the Southern Hemisphere. Following EB1, MBC Group has again been engaged as Accredited/Principal Certifier for Stage 2 (EB2), further expanding capacity and reinforcing the Eraring site’s role as a critical hub for secure, reliable, and renewable energy delivery.

The Compliance Challenge

Delivering a BESS facility of this scale required navigating a complex regulatory environment:

Fire Safety: lithium-ion storage poses unique risks requiring prescriptive NCC compliance and performance-based fire engineering solutions to manage thermal runaway scenarios.

Structural design: the scale and weight of containerised batteries demanded robust structural certification for the footings, ensuring stability and resilience in both foundation and enclosure design.

Approval pathways: overlapping frameworks, including the NCC, Australian Standards, NSW planning requirements, SafeWork NSW’s electrical safety regulations, and local council conditions, required careful integration.

Legacy infrastructure: the transition of Eraring from a coal-fired asset to a clean energy hub introduced challenges in integrating large-scale storage within existing site infrastructure.

Project Outcomes

MBC Group’s involvement ensured that EB1 achieved a smooth compliance pathway, meeting key milestones and reducing project risk. Outcomes included:

- On-time approvals, supporting successful entry into the NEM in March 2025.
- Risk reduction, with potential redesigns and construction delays avoided through proactive compliance checks.
- Stakeholder assurance, providing financiers, insurers, regulators, and the community with confidence in the project’s safety and compliance integrity.

With EB2 now underway, our continuing role ensures that lessons from EB1 are leveraged to deliver an even more streamlined and secure compliance process.

Looking Forward

The Eraring BESS sets a benchmark for large-scale storage projects in Australia. Our role as Accredited/Principal Certifier demonstrates how expert Building Surveyors can bridge technical innovation and regulatory requirements to deliver safe, compliant, and commercially successful outcomes. By supporting both EB1 and EB2, MBC Group continues to play a pivotal role in accelerating the energy transition, ensuring that cutting-edge projects like Eraring are delivered with certainty, safety, and long-term value.