Canberra Solar Base Station

Selection of the battery operator will be made in late 2024 following a procurement process. The Big Canberra Battery project will provide renewable energy security across the electricity grid, help the ACT grow its renewable energy sector, provide more local employment opportunities, and deliver a positive financial return for the Territory.

Those investments, together with Canberra's own solar, put a stop to about 40 per cent of the ACT's carbon emissions, compared to what it would emit if it just bought traditional power from the grid. The ACT-contracted solar and wind farms cover 77 per cent of the capital's electricity consumption.

We manage and operate one of NASA's three tracking stations that provide continuous, two-way radio contact with spacecraft exploring our Solar System and beyond. Located at Tidbinbilla, just outside Australia's capital city, the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex is one of three Deep Space Network stations around the world.

There are currently four antennas operating at the Canberra station: one 70-metre and three 34-metre radio dishes that receive data from, and transmit commands to, spacecraft on deep space missions. At 70-metres in diameter and the height of a 22-storey building, Deep Space Station 43 is the largest antenna in the southern hemisphere.

The Canberra station was officially opened on 19 March 1965; it was then known as the Tidbinbilla Deep Space Instrumentation Facility. Tidbinbilla was chosen as the location for the Australian facility because it is close to the capital Canberra, and hills shield the site from radio-frequency interference.

Quote attributable to Eku Energy CEO, Dan Burrows: "The Big Canberra Battery represents a significant milestone for Eku Energy as it marks our first GWh of projects in delivery in Australia. We are proud to be working in partnership with the ACT Government to deliver the development of the first stream of the Big Canberra Battery.