This article is from the Australian Property Journal archive
REAL asset manager Dexus will become the first Australian industry player to embed battery infrastructure in all new industrial buildings.
Commercial-grade storage batteries will be linked to rooftop solar panels in all new industrial facilities, beginning with four upcoming industrial projects at its Horizon 3023, a 127-hectare master planned industrial estate in Melbourne’s west, with the first battery spec build to be completed by late 2024.
“This battery infrastructure initiative will simultaneously reduce our customers’ carbon footprint and that of our supply chain, while generating significant cost savings for our customers,” said Dexus head of transactions and development, industrial, Chris Mackenzie.
Battery installation in the base build of its industrial facilities will deliver forecast energy cost savings of $4.60 per sqm per year, equating to around $92,000 in saving per year on a typical 20,000 sqm facility, and an annual reduction of 549 tonnes of carbon emissions.
Dexus will implement the initiative across more than one million square metres of industrial gross lettable area.
“This new base build specification has the potential to set a new standard for industrial property developers, highlighting the positive role they can play in providing renewable energy solutions for customers and helping them reach their emission targets, one we hope the rest of the industry will follow,” Mackenzie said.
Dexus said that commercial-grade batteries would provide double the effectiveness of rooftop solar, supplementing power supply overnight – valuable for customers that run 24-hour operations.
“As part of our sustainability strategy, we have developed design standards to ensure the required infrastructure is in place from the beginning. We are empowering our customers to expand their behind-the-meter energy networks in line with their own energy needs.
Dexus is one of the largest managers of industrial facilities in Australia, with an $11 billion portfolio of industrial assets, with estates including Perth’s 186-hectare Ascend at Jandakot, Horizon 3023 in Melbourne, spanning 130 hectares, Hemmant in Brisbane totalling 13 hectares, and Quarry at Greystanes, covering 69 hectares in Sydney.
Dexus co-executive general manager, infrastructure, Michael Bessell said, “We are excited to leverage the real asset capability of the Dexus platform to deliver this exciting infrastructure initiative across the industrial real estate portfolio.”
