The Wellington Aboriginal community in NSW has secured an option for a 5% equity stake in a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) project to be located on Wiradjuri Country.
The Bulabul Battery is some 3km north-east of Wellington township in Central West NSW.
Bulabul means “two acting together” in Wiradjuri.
The equity deal
Developed in consultation with the Wellington Aboriginal Action Panel - WAAP, renewable energy assets developer AMPYR Australia announced a long term partnership with the Wellington Aboriginal community.
That included supporting it to take a 5% equity stake in the 600MWh Wellington Battery (Stage 1 of the project), to be located next to the existing Wellington and Wellington North solar farms.
To assist the partnership, Wambal Bila Ltd was established, a new community organisation comprising members of the Wellington Aboriginal community. AMPYR Australia is providing up to $300,000 to support Wambal Bila establish its initial operations.
Corrs Chambers Westgarth advised the community and Wambal Bila on its establishment and entry into the partnership, Ashurst advised AMPYR Australia on the development of the equity structure, and Yamagigu Consulting provided financial and strategic support to the community and Wambal Bila.
The partnership and equity model is reportedly designed to provide Wambal Bila with a steady income stream and the opportunity to share in project revenues for the project’s lifetime. It also provides Wambal Bila with an entitlement to an annual priority distribution amount and the ability to share equally alongside the investor in project revenues.
Wambal Bila and AMPYR Australia will also seek to agree to a similar equity stake in the Bulabul Stage 2 BESS.
Wambal Bila's 5% equity stake in the Bulabul Battery project is an Australian-first, with the acquisition not relying on Native Title or other land rights.
In December 2025, the project partnership won Infrastructure Journal's 'Global ESG Deal of the Year' award.
"The creation of Wambal Bila is a testament to a new era of partnership and empowerment within the energy sector. It ensures that the benefits of the Bulabul Battery project flow directly back to our community, enabling us to invest in our cultural heritage, create economic opportunities, and support the well-being of our people for generations to come. We believe this model will inspire similar collaborations across the industry."
Wambal Bila Director, Keiyana Guihot (Aug 2025)
In July 2026, the Commonwealth Bank supported the financing structure of the equity deal: rather than requiring the community to put up land or other assets as security, the financing is supported by the project's future cashflows.
IBR reports that the Commonwealth Bank saying innovative financing models that support First Nations participation in major infrastructure projects are an important part of ensuring communities can share in the long-term economic benefits of Australia's energy transition.
"We're proud to support innovative financing structures that help create long-term economic opportunities for First Nations communities. This transaction demonstrates how collaboration between community organisations, developers and financiers can support greater Indigenous participation in Australia's energy future, while helping ensure the benefits of major infrastructure projects are shared locally."
Mitchell Heritage, Executive Manager of Indigenous Business Banking, Commonwealth Bank (Jul 2026)
Sharing template document about setting up an equity partnership
To support the development of equity partnerships in other industries and places, Wambal Bila and AMPYR have agreed to share relevant and non-commercially-sensitive information about the partnership, including core parts of key legal documents.
The project
The 1,000 megawatt/hour (MWh) Bulabul Battery project will be delivered in two stages:
- Stage 1 (300 MW / 600 MWh) is in the final stages of procurement and financing (as of February 2025) and is due for ‘energisation’ in 2026, and
- Stage 2 (100 MW / 400 MWh) is scheduled to be completed in 2027.
Where it's up to
In July 2025, Ampyr Australia announced it had reached financial close on the stage 1 battery. The organisation reportedly relied on its backer, AGP Sustainable Real Assets, and millions in debt financing from the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Bank of China, Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC), Rabobank, Societe Generale, and United Overseas Bank.
The BESS project will connect to the TransGrid Wellington substation (via overhead or underground transmission lines) and is expected to energise 37,500 homes in Stage 1 and 25,000 in Stage 2, supporting additional wind and solar capacity in the adjacent Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone (REZ).
The estimated total cost of this State Significant Development is A$545 million (figure from 2023).
Stage 1 of the project is under construction as of August 2025.
In November 2025 Ampyr reportedly secured a 15-year storage agreement with Danish trader InCommodities, a deal widely reported at around AU$300 million.
As of 7 October 2026, the project is reportedly expected to move into the commissioning process relatively soon.
Updated 7 October 2026
The front cover image is an artists render of the proposed Wellington battery, from Ampyr.