New South Wales (NSW) has given the go-ahead for Australia’s biggest battery to help replace the Liddell coal-fired power station after its retirement. AGL Energy, Australia’s biggest electricity provider, is retiring the 1,680 MW (megawatt) coal plant due to its age, with the 50-year-old power station reaching the end of its operational lifespan. The first of the station’s four units will close next month in April 2022, with the remaining units switching off the following year in April 2023. AGL’s monolithic new AU$763 million (US$564 million) battery aims to provide some of the replacement capacity and will be capable of outputting at 500 MW for a maximum of four hours. AGL Chief Operating Officer Markus Brokhof explained that batteries were becoming more important in supporting Australia’s rapidly growing renewable energy uptake. “As Australia moves forward and we increase our reliance on renewable generation, batteries will be critical in providing the …