Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners acquires 104MW grid-forming BESS project from Windlab in Australia

Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) has acquired full ownership of the 104MW Gawara Baya wind-plus-storage project in North Queensland, Australia, from developer Windlab. The project has reached financial close and is moving into construction. Gawara Baya is a hybrid renewable energy development combining a 408MW wind farm with a 104MW grid-forming inverter-equipped battery energy storage system, located approximately 65km south-west of Ingham on Gugu Badhun Country.

CIP acquired the project through its Copenhagen Infrastructure V fund, taking 100% ownership from Windlab, an Australian renewable energy company with experience across wind, solar and storage projects. The project has secured long-term energy offtake arrangements with Stanwell, Queensland's state-owned generator, and UK-based SmartestEnergy, and is participating in the Australian government's Capacity Investment Scheme. Construction is expected to inject AU$200 million (US$130 million) into the regional economy and support 500 jobs, alongside an AU$200,000 annual Community Benefit Fund for the Hinchinbrook and Charters Towers local government areas.

The acquisition adds to CIP's Australian battery storage portfolio, which includes both built and exited standalone BESS assets. In April 2026, CIP sold its entire stake in the 240MW/960MWh Summerfield Battery in South Australia to Palisade Investment Partners, following a pattern of developing and de-risking assets before selling to longer-term infrastructure holders. Grid-forming inverters can provide voltage and frequency support historically supplied by synchronous generators such as coal and gas plants, a capability identified as increasingly necessary as thermal generation retires from the National Electricity Market.

What remains unknown is the financial value of the Gawara Baya acquisition itself, as the source does not disclose a transaction price. The dossier also does not specify the construction timeline, expected commercial operation date, or the precise terms of the offtake and Capacity Investment Scheme arrangements. The project includes Australia's first renewable energy biodiversity net-gain strategy, backed by an initial AU$4 million investment delivered in partnership with Traditional Owners and regional conservation experts, but the measurable biodiversity improvement targets over the project's operating life are not detailed in the available evidence.