Musk confirms the world’s largest lithium ion battery will be built in SA
Tesla CEO: Tesla will build world’s biggest lithium ion battery in South Australia.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has today confirmed his company will build the largest lithium ion battery in the world in South Australia.
Musk arrived straight from the airport to make the announcement this afternoon with the South Australian premier Jay Weatherill. He confirmed that the battery will hopefully be installed within 100 days.
Premier Jay Weatherill and Musk confirmed the agreement, which is between the SA government, Tesla and a French energy company called Neoen, in a press conference this afternoon.
The Premier said in a statement: "South Australian customers will be the first to benefit from this technology, which will demonstrate that large-scale battery storage is both possible and now commercially viable."
Musk said that the purpose of the battery is to stabilise the supply of renewable energy and "make a significant statement about renewable energy to the world."
When questioned about the future of clean energy the Tesla CEO was extremely clear: "The writing’s on the wall for the long term future of coal," he said. "Investors know that coal does not have a long-term future."
The new battery, to be built in Jamestown, will be 100 megawatts in capacity. This is far bigger than any lithium ion battery ever made. The next biggest battery is only 20 megawatts.
In March, Musk announced that he would build and install a working battery system within 100 days or it would be free. This came in the wake of a crippling blackout in South Australia. Musk today appears to have made good on his promise.
After the blackouts, the SA government announced a $500 million energy plan to ensure future stability in the state's energy. The Tesla battery deal is a key plank of this plan.
The premier says that the plan will allow the state to "take charge of its energy future".
Musk's announcement is certainly welcome news for all Australian energy consumers as energy prices continue to rise.
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