CATL and Quinbrook Advance Supernode as Australia Scales Up Battery Storage

CATL and Quinbrook are expanding their partnership on one of Australia's largest battery energy storage developments, as Supernode moves into its next phase following the completion of Stage 2 commercial operations and financial close on A$469 million in debt financing for Stage 3.

Located at Brendale, north of Brisbane, Supernode is being developed as a large scale battery energy storage campus supporting Queensland's accelerating transition towards a more flexible electricity system.

The first three stages are expected to deliver a combined 780MW and 3,074MWh of battery storage capacity, with the wider Supernode development planned to exceed 3GWh. The first three stages have been contracted under long term offtake arrangements, providing a commercial foundation for the project as it scales.

The A$469 million Stage 3 financing brings total project financing for Stages 1, 2 and 3 to approximately A$1.2 billion, highlighting the growing role of large scale battery storage as an infrastructure investment opportunity within Australia's energy transition.

For investors and project financiers, the Supernode development illustrates how battery storage is increasingly being treated as long term energy infrastructure rather than simply a technology deployment. The commercial value of the assets will depend on their ability to deliver reliable performance, operational efficiency and safety over an extended lifecycle.

CATL is supplying the core energy storage systems for all three stages, creating a common technology platform across the campus. EnerC Plus systems have been deployed for Stages 1 and 2, while Stage 3 will use CATL's TENER S systems.

The partnership also extends beyond equipment supply. CATL is providing lifecycle support under a Long Term Service Agreement, covering areas including condition monitoring, performance tracking, fault response and preventive maintenance.

For Supernode, the technology strategy is closely linked to site economics. The project is located adjacent to the South Pine substation, a significant hub within Queensland's electricity network and the regional reference node for marginal loss factors.

The site also offers approximately 4,000MW of available connection capacity for phased expansion, creating further potential for Supernode as electricity demand and renewable generation increase across Queensland.

CATL said its collaboration with Quinbrook has included project specific design optimisation to support high density deployment within the constraints of available industrial land. Its EnerC Plus system supports back to back installation, which can reduce the required site footprint by about 20 per cent compared with EnerC.

The systems also use integrated liquid cooling to manage internal temperature differences within the containers, supporting operational reliability over a designed 20 year lifecycle.

Quinbrook Managing Director and Regional Lead, Australia, Tim Horne­mand said Stage 2's entry into commercial operation represented the successful delivery of both Origin contracted stages on schedule, while the financing of Stage 3 marked another significant step in Supernode's development.

The financing milestone also reflects continued confidence from the project's banking partners in the Supernode development, its delivery track record and the longer term outlook for battery storage in Australia.

CATL CCO and Co-President of Sales and Marketing Tan Libin said the energy storage industry was moving towards treating storage assets as strategic components of energy systems, with long term value increasingly dependent on collaboration, innovation and scalable deployment.

The partnership is also looking beyond the first three stages. CATL and Quinbrook are working on EnerQB, an eight hour battery storage solution being considered for future phases of Supernode.

That development could become increasingly relevant as Australia's electricity market requires longer duration storage to complement intermittent renewable generation and provide greater flexibility across periods of high and low demand.

Supernode's progression therefore represents more than another battery project reaching a financing milestone. The scale of investment, long term offtake arrangements and expansion potential point to the growing commercial importance of energy storage infrastructure in Australia's electricity market.

For CATL and Quinbrook, the project provides a platform to combine large scale infrastructure development, advanced battery technology and lifecycle services as Queensland's energy system continues its transition.