Watts News: June 2025

More than 1,000 customers now part of our community battery trials 

We’ve hit a new milestone with more than 1,000 customers now signed up for our community battery trials across New South Wales and Queensland. 

Community batteries store excess electricity, including power generated from renewable sources - such as solar panels - during the day, that is then shared by multiple households or businesses within a community. For participating customers, it’s a way to access the benefits of battery storage without the upfront cost of owning a battery. 

Through partnerships with a range of electricity distributors, we now have more than 70 community batteries connected to our Virtual Power Plant. It’s a great result for the team working behind the scenes to make community batteries a reality. 

Eraring Ash Dam stability works complete 

We’ve just completed a major project to strengthen and stabilise the ash dam wall at Eraring Power Station. The ash dam is where we safely store the by-product left over from generating electricity at the power station. While the site is carefully managed and monitored, it’s important we keep improving how it’s built and maintained to meet modern standards and future needs. 

Since 2020, our teams and contractor partners have been hard at work to ensure the Eraring Ash Dam is compliant with Dam Safety NSW requirements. Together, they’ve placed and compacted hundreds of thousands of cubic metres of fill, installed stone columns and drainage, and laid turf across the main embankment wall.  

With surface works now finished, the project has officially reached practical completion. 

So Watt? Season 3 wraps up with a bonus episode on energy prices 

This month, we wrapped up Season 3 of our So Watt? podcast - a ten-part series packed with tips, design hacks and smart ideas to help make homes more energy efficient and keep bills down. 

To cap it off, we released a special bonus episode featuring our Head of Retail, Jon Briskin , who joined host Emma Edwards to break down energy price changes, how to find the best deals, and ways to take control of household budgets. 

Launched in April, the season took a room-by-room approach to household energy use - from the kitchen, to the home office, and backyard - and has drawn thousands of listeners so far, with more continuing to tune in each week. 

More gas, fewer emissions, better results 

We’ve unlocked a smarter way of working that’s now delivering major benefits across Integrated Gas; helping boost production, reduce emissions, and cut time at each gas well. 

After a year of successful trials, a method called partial isolation is now standard practice during our major workovers. It means wells can stay online while preparation work is carried out – keeping production flowing without compromising safety. 

And the results speak for themselves: more than 325 terajoules of gas recovered each year, around 30% less time spent at each well, and over 900 shut-in days avoided by keeping wells online during preparation activities. 

Fewer shut-ins mean fewer emissions – avoiding the stop-start impacts that typically come with restarting wells. It’s a big step forward in how we manage our operations, combining efficiency, safety and sustainability in one scalable solution. 

A huge thanks to the many Integrated Gas teams – out in the field, in engineering, and behind the scenes- who helped make it happen.

Celebrating community and connection with the Origin Foundation 

As proud sponsors of the Sydney Swans , we were excited to take part in this year’s Marn Grook Round – a celebration of First Nations culture and the deep roots of AFL - Australian Football League .  

To mark the occasion, we welcomed Origin Foundation scholarship recipients from Wuyagiba Bush Uni , along with First Nations suppliers, partners and employees, to enjoy the match from our Home of the Fans space. Through our Foundation, we’re proud to support programs that empower First Nations young people to reach their potential through education. . 

This year we are celebrating 15 years of programs supported through the Origin Foundation across our philanthropic grant making, employee volunteering and workplace giving. Since 2010, Origin employees have volunteered more than 102,000 hours of their time - supporting young people, local charities and communities across Australia. 

Origin Foundation CEO Michelle Zahra said, “For 15 years, we’ve supported education and community programs that help young people in Australia reach their potential. Giving back is part of our DNA at Origin and it’s inspiring to see the commitment of our employees grow stronger each year through our Foundation”.

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