GenusPlus adds major Victorian battery project to infrastructure pipeline

GenusPlus lands major Wodonga battery contract

GenusPlus Group Limited (ASX:GNP) has won an approximately $160 million contract to deliver the infrastructure package for a 400 MW / 1.86 GWh battery energy storage system at Wodonga in Victoria. The project, known as Birdwood Energy Reserve, is being developed for renewable energy investment manager Birdwood.

The award gives GenusPlus a sizeable position in one of Australia’s most strategically important infrastructure themes: storing renewable power and making it available when required. The announcement does not disclose the contract’s margin, payment terms or expected contribution to revenue and earnings, so the headline value is not a guide to profitability.

Balance-of-plant scope covers grid connection

GenusPlus will handle the balance-of-plant works, spanning civil and structural construction, electrical infrastructure, high-voltage connection assets, communications and control systems, testing and commissioning. The scope draws on the group’s engineering, procurement, construction and high-voltage capabilities rather than the supply of the battery technology itself, based on the details disclosed.

Construction is scheduled for completion in late 2028. However, the release also says GenusPlus expects to draw on its capabilities to deliver the project “over the next 18 months”. The announcement does not explain whether that shorter period refers to a particular phase, an earlier work package or a separate internal milestone, leaving the project timetable to be clarified.

Birdwood project adds to energy storage credentials

GenusPlus managing director David Riches described the project as a “significant milestone” and said its scale demonstrated the group’s ability to deliver infrastructure supporting Australia’s energy transition. Birdwood said it manages four investment vehicles and a diversified portfolio of approximately A$5 billion across Australian and selected European energy projects, according to the announcement.

The immediate questions are commercial rather than thematic: when work formally starts, whether the contract is subject to further conditions, how revenue will be recognised through to 2028, and what margin the package carries. Until those details emerge, the contract is a clear order win, but its earnings impact remains less precise than the $160 million headline.