Case study

Pine Lodge 250 MW / 590 MWh BESS Commissioning

Request a quote

Talk to an engineer: 1300 730 499 or service@megavar.com.au

Megavar BESS commissioning at the 250 MW Pine Lodge battery energy storage facility in Greater Shepparton Victoria for ACLE Services

Technicians Performing High Voltage (HV) Substation Commissioning Inside a Control Room

250MW Power

590 MWh Energy

Pine Lodge, approximately 13 km east of Shepparton, Greater Shepparton, Victoria Location

ACLE Services Pty Ltd Client

2026 Completion

Client: ACLE Services Pty Ltd
Developer: ACEnergy
Location: Pine Lodge, approximately 13 km east of Shepparton, Greater Shepparton, Victoria, VIC
Grid Connection: Pine Lodge Transmission Station
Capacity: 250 MW / 590 MWh (~2.4 hr duration)
Voltage: Up to 33 kV
Battery OEM: CATL
PCS-side Switchgear: ORMAZABAL medium voltage ring main units
Site Size: Approximately 10 hectares
Asset Type: Utility-scale BESS, 33 kV switchboard with bus coupler, ORMAZABAL ring main units
Project Type: Utility-scale BESS commissioning, including commissioning management
Duration: 2025 onwards; commissioning in progress at the time of writing
Megavar Scope: Commissioning management services plus full primary and secondary testing and commissioning of the PCS, kiosks, 33 kV switchboard, DC and AC distribution boards, harmonic filters, battery banks, BESS earthing and BESS SCADA

Technician Inspecting Equipment During High Voltage (HV) Substation Commissioning

Overview

Pine Lodge BESS is a 250 MW / 590 MWh utility-scale battery energy storage facility on a 10 hectare site approximately 13 kilometres east of Shepparton in central north Victoria. It is one of the larger BESS projects currently in the final stages of commissioning in Australia and connects to the grid through the Pine Lodge Transmission Station.

The project was developed to ready-to-build by ACEnergy and subsequently transferred, with ACLE Services engaged as the EPC contractor. ACLE contracted Megavar to deliver both the Commissioning Management Services for the BESS and the full testing and commissioning scope. Running both under one Megavar engagement, rather than splitting the commissioning manager and the testing team across two contractors, removed a layer of coordination overhead on a programme that was already under time pressure.

The battery technology on site is supplied by CATL. The medium voltage Power Conversion System switchgear is ORMAZABAL ring main units, and the 33 kV switchboard is configured with a bus coupler tying the two sides of the switchboard together. The full Megavar scope covered everything from the PCS skids through to the BESS SCADA integration.

Scope of Work

Commissioning Management Services for the BESS, covering programme management, subcontractor coordination, test sequence management, and client reporting
Primary and secondary testing of the Power Conversion System (PCS) skids and associated ORMAZABAL medium voltage ring main units
Primary and secondary testing of the BESS kiosks
Primary and secondary testing of the 33 kV switchboard, including the bus coupler configuration
Battery charging and battery bank discharge testing across the installed capacity
DC distribution board testing
AC distribution board testing, including Auto Transfer Switch (ATS) functional testing
Harmonic filter panel secondary testing
BESS earthing system testing, covering earth grid verification and compliance
Complete BESS SCADA testing, including point-to-point verification, alarm and event propagation, remote control and indication
On-site identification and resolution of IFC drawing discrepancies
Relay configuration file corrections during testing
Testing documentation, Inspection Test Records, and closeout package

Equipment Commissioned

33 kV switchboard with bus coupler
PCS skids with primary and secondary protection
ORMAZABAL MV ring main units
CATL battery containers and BMS
BESS kiosks
DC distribution boards
AC distribution boards with ATS
Harmonic filter panels
Station earthing system
BESS SCADA platform and control room
Protection relay suite across all scopes

Megavar Test Equipment Deployed

Omicron CMC 356 and CMC 500 protection relay test sets
Omicron CPC 100 primary injection test set
Megger MIT series insulation resistance testers
Megger DLRO micro-ohmmeter
Battery bank discharge test set
Earth testing equipment
AC hipot test set
LV breaker test kit

Team: Megavar scaled to 9–10 testers at peak, with Commissioning Management Services running alongside T&C execution under a single project lead.

New ABB UniGear ZS1 11 kV switchgear in service at Chapel Street Substation, commissioned by Megavar

Challenges and Approach

Pine Lodge was a fast project on a compressed programme. The original target completion date of December 2025 was not achievable for a scope of this size, and the timeline pressure shaped everything that followed: the resource profile, the subcontractor coordination approach, and the quality assurance discipline.

The site environment itself was not helping. Shepparton in the back half of the year is warm and often dusty, and the BESS site sits on an exposed 10 hectare footprint with limited natural shelter for outdoor work. Equipment set-up, site housekeeping, and personal safety all had to account for an environment that tires people out faster and is harder on test gear than an indoor substation.

On top of the programme and environmental pressure, the project had the normal realities of a fast BESS build. IFC drawings contained discrepancies that only surfaced during physical testing. Some design details needed correction in the field. Relay configuration files shipped with settings that did not match what the commissioning sequence required.

Megavar's response was to run both the Commissioning Management Services and the T&C delivery under one umbrella for ACLE. Resources were scaled to peak demand (9–10 testers) without compromising quality, and QHSE standards were held through the programme. Documentation was maintained in a tight daily loop, with ITRs, test records, and client comments turned around quickly.

The technical differentiator from the Mornington BESS project sat in the 33 kV switchboard configuration. Pine Lodge uses an interconnected configuration with a bus coupler tying the two sides together – that changes how the commissioning sequence is built, and the testing has to prove the scheme works in all operating modes the bus coupler introduces.

Outcomes

Megavar scaled to the programme demand and delivered the Pine Lodge commissioning scope through to the final stages at time of writing, with Site Acceptance Testing near complete and SCADA testing in progress.

Resources scaled to peak project demand (9–10 testers) without compromising commissioning quality
QHSE standards maintained across all site activities through the full programme
One-umbrella commissioning delivery model reduced coordination overhead between scopes
IFC drawing discrepancies identified and resolved in a closed loop with the design team
Relay configuration file corrections executed in-line with testing
Documentation maintained and updated at pace with client comments
Site Acceptance Testing near complete, energisation on track for 2026

Need High Voltage Testing or Equipment?

Tell us what you need and when, and we will come back with availability and pricing.

Get In Touch

Megavar engineer FAT testing a Siemens 7SJ82 feeder protection relay for Chapel Street 11 kV switchgear

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What is involved in BESS commissioning?

BESS (Battery Energy Storage System) commissioning systematically tests every component of a battery energy storage facility before it is energised and connected to the grid. This typically includes medium voltage switchgear testing, Power Conversion System (PCS) testing, battery charging and bank discharge testing, DC and AC distribution board testing, Auto Transfer Switch (ATS) verification, harmonic filter testing, BESS earthing testing, protection relay commissioning, and full SCADA integration. On Pine Lodge, Megavar delivered all of these scopes plus Commissioning Management Services under a single engagement.

What does Commissioning Management mean for a BESS project?

Commissioning Management is the programme and sequence management layer that sits above the individual testing scopes on a BESS project. It covers the commissioning programme, subcontractor coordination, test sequence management, interface with the EPC and asset owner, and client reporting. On Pine Lodge, ACLE engaged Megavar for Commissioning Management Services alongside the testing and commissioning delivery, which kept the commissioning manager and the T&C team inside the same engagement and shortened the escalation path when issues emerged during testing.

What test equipment is used for BESS commissioning?

A typical BESS commissioning programme uses protection relay test sets (such as Omicron CMC 356 and CMC 500) for secondary injection and scheme functional testing, a primary injection test set (such as Omicron CPC 100) for end-to-end current loop testing, insulation resistance testers (Megger MIT series) for wiring and equipment insulation, micro-ohmmeters (Megger DLRO) for contact resistance, a battery bank discharge test set for capacity verification, earth testing equipment for the BESS earthing system, and LV breaker test kits for AC distribution and ATS functional testing. Megavar deployed the relevant subset of this fleet on Pine Lodge.

How is battery bank discharge testing performed?

Battery bank discharge testing verifies that an installed battery bank delivers its rated capacity under controlled discharge conditions. A dedicated discharge test set is connected to the battery bank and drawn at a defined discharge rate for the test duration, while the system monitors cell voltages, temperatures, and the overall capacity delivered against the rating. On a utility-scale BESS such as Pine Lodge, the testing is sequenced across multiple phases to build confidence in the battery system behaviour before energisation.

What makes a 33 kV switchboard with a bus coupler different to commission?

A 33 kV switchboard with a bus coupler interconnects two sides of the switchboard through a dedicated bus coupler circuit breaker, as opposed to operating as two independent switchboards. This changes how the commissioning sequence has to be built: the switching states, the interlocking logic, and the protection scheme all have to account for the bus coupler operation. Commissioning has to prove the scheme works in all the operating modes the bus coupler introduces, which is more involved than commissioning two independent switchboards in parallel.

Does Megavar provide BESS commissioning services across Australia?

Yes. Megavar provides BESS commissioning services nationally from offices in Tasmania, South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland, with site teams deployed to BESS projects across the National Electricity Market. Our BESS commissioning scope covers Commissioning Management, PCS and switchgear testing, battery bank discharge testing, protection relay testing, SCADA integration, and closeout documentation.

Request a quote

Tell us about the job

An engineer replies by the end of the next business day (Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm). Scope still forming? Send what you have. Hiring equipment? Use the equipment hire pages or email rentals@megavar.com.au.