AECOM has been engaged by Enerven to provide detailed design services for solar photovoltaic (PV) farm and a battery energy storage system (BESS) on the first phase of its largest site — the Adelaide Desalination Plant, as part of SA Water’s ‘Zero Cost Energy Future’ initiative.

Approach

Earlier this year, Enerven was awarded the first stage of SA Water’s ground-mounted solar project that will consist of up to 70 sites once completed, comprising 154 MW of PV energy-generation capacity and 34 MWh of energy storage. The project is the first of its kind for SA Water and is the initial step in helping SA Water to neutralise its energy bills and achieve zero net electricity costs from 2020.

The first phase of the Adelaide Desalination Plant will have an AC capacity of approximately 11 MW and 6 MW/12.5 MWh for the PV project and the BESS, respectively. An extra level of complexity stems from the fact that these projects are being built on a brownfield site and AECOM is looking forward to tackling this challenge with Enerven and providing SA Water with a renewable-energy solution.

AECOM has commenced the preliminary design and is bringing together teams from different offices across Australia, demonstrating our flexibility to work on any size or scope of project regardless of geography. The design program is expected to take approximately three months and AECOM is working to deliver the design to enable an efficient procurement strategy to be implemented by Enerven.

“The team is delighted to work on such an important project for Enerven, SA Water, and the environment generally. This project will enable AECOM to further demonstrate our PV and BESS knowledge to the industry and we’re excited to be developing what will hopefully be a long-standing relationship with Enerven.” — Kirk Veitch, AECOM Project Manager