About Silver City
Located in Broken Hill, NSW, the Silver City Energy Storage Centre will provide more than 8 hours or 200 MW of energy storage for clean, reliable energy. A-CAES (pronounced “case” is a well-proven and commercially-viable technology that can provide much-needed energy storage and back-up power for the Broken Hill community.
Providing clean & reliable power to the Broken Hill Community.
As Australia modernises its grid infrastructure and moves towards aggressive carbon emission reductions, it is undergoing one of the most rapid energy transitions in the world.
As part of this transition, the Silver City Energy Storage Centre will eliminate the need for major investments in expensive new transmission lines and ongoing reliance on highly polluting diesel generators.
The proposed Centre will discharge 1,600 megawatt hours (MWh) of electricity, capable of delivering 8+ hours of energy delivery on a full charge.
The project received funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) as part of ARENA’s Advancing Renewables Program. To learn more, visit ARENA.GOV.AU In December 2023 Silver City was awarded a Network Service Agreement with Transgrid, and a Long-Term Energy Service Agreement (LTESA) from AEMO Services under the New South Wales government’s electricity infrastructure roadmap, marked significant progress for our Silver City project.
Boosts Economy
Up to 750 new jobs during construction and 36 when operational.
Efficient Transmission
Maximises use of existing power lines, saving costs.
Supporting Community
$240M investment into Broken Hill and $550M into NSW.
Minimal Land & Water Use
Provides long duration storage with low land and water needs, using a decommissioned mining site.
Reliable Power
Stable electricity to Broken Hill.
Environmental Impact
Emissions-free process helps achieve 100% renewable energy for Broken Hill by 2030.
The A-CAES
Charging Process
- 1: COMPRESSION
Off-peak or surplus electricity from the grid or a renewable source is used to run a compressor, producing heated compressed air.
- 2: HEAT EXCHANGE
Heat is extracted from the air and stored in a proprietary thermal storage tank preserving for use later in the process. Saving the heat increases efficiency and eliminates the need to use fossil fuels during discharge.
- 3: AIR STORAGE
The cool compressed air is then stored in a purpose-built underground hard rock cavern which uses a water head to enhance land density and maintain the system at a constant pressure.
- 4: WATER DISPLACEMENT
When energy is needed, the water head weight is released and with the help of gravity, air is pushed to the surface where it is recombined with the stored heat and expanded through a turbine to generate electricity on demand.
Information Sessions
See the latest videos regarding the project, meetings and webinars.
BUSINESS & INDUSTRY ENGAGEMENT SESSION – Mar 6, 2025
BUSINESS & INDUSTRY ENGAGEMENT SESSION – Feb 13, 2025
Hydrostor is a technology company dedicated to developing foundational long duration energy storage solutions. Hydrostor’s technology operates on a compact footprint with flexible siting to deliver energy storage capacity of eight hours or more.
Using air, rock, water, an established supply chain, and skilled labor force, Hydrostor’s pioneering technology is expanding the grid’s capacity and accelerating the integration of renewable power supplies for a more reliable and resilient energy future.