Wambal Bila secures commercial partnership and equity ownership in Wellington BESS
SYDNEY, Australia, 7 August 2025 — Today, the Wellington Aboriginal community announces its right to take long-term equity ownership in the local Wellington Stage 1 BESS in a market-first partnership that provides long-term benefit long after the battery’s completion.
The equity right gives Wambal Bila (a Wiradjuri word for mountain-river) the option to take a 5 per cent equity stake in the battery project. Wambal Bila is a new community-led corporation led by Wiradjuri people accountable to its membership, which is open to the Wellington Aboriginal community. The underlying equity stake includes both a right to a preferred, fixed annual return and a share of ongoing equity returns alongside other investors.
With a groundbreaking ceremony held on site today in Wellington, New South Wales, Wambal Bila will invest revenue in the future of the Wellington Aboriginal community. This partnership and groundbreaking ceremony marks using best-practice approaches to community engagement and development to build local capacity and economic opportunity.
The equity arrangement has been developed between Wambal Bila and AMPYR Australia under a set of agreements between the parties, which see AMPYR Australia provide up to $300,000 to support Wambal Bila establish its initial operations. Wambal Bila and AMPYR Australia will also seek to agree to a similar equity stake in the Wellington Stage 2 BESS. AMPYR Australia will also seek to develop similar partnerships for its future projects in other regions.
The arrangement is the first equity partnership in a developer-led project where the local First Nations community has no native title or related legal rights, or other pre-existing economic base. For the energy industry, this sets a new precedent that could be extended to other renewable energy developments across Australia. AMPYR Australia is committed to exploring equity partnerships with local First Nations Communities in its pipeline of upcoming projects.
As part of this partnership, Wambal Bila and AMPYR Australia have agreed to rename the project as the Bulabul Battery. Bulabul means “two acting together” in Wiradjuri, representing the powerful partnership between the community and the project. This also reflects the meeting of the Bell and Macquarie rivers at Wellington, an important landmark of the town and an inspiration for the Bulabul Battery logo.
“It’s great to see First Nations communities working with proponents to develop and trial innovative arrangements, including equity, towards clean energy solutions and benefit sharing,” said Karrina Nolan, co-Chair of the First Nations Clean Energy Network.
“The creation of Wambal Bila is a testament to a new era of partnership and empowerment within the energy sector,” said Wambal Bila Director, Keiyana Guihot. “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.”
“This is a major turning point for major energy projects. At AMPYR, we’re extremely proud to work alongside Wambal Bila to shift the focus from short-term regional construction jobs to empowering communities through long-term ownership and sustained benefit,” said Alex Wonhas, CEO, AMPYR Australia. “We hope this sets a new industry standard that will soon become the norm for energy projects in Australia and beyond.”
Both organisations are committed to sharing learnings and non-commercially sensitive materials to facilitate the adaptation and application of this approach across other renewable energy developments.
Multiple advisors and organisations were involved in the creation of Wambal Bila. 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.
About Wambal Bila
Wambal Bila is a new Aboriginal community-led corporation established by the local Wiradjuri community to manage the equity ownership in the Bulabul Battery Energy Storage System. Its mission is to enable local Wellington First Nations community members to join the organisation, gain access to training and support, and derive long-term benefit from the battery project, investing in cultural, economic, and social priorities for the community.
About AMPYR Australia
AMPYR is a new independent power producer in Australia with global backing from AGP Sustainable Real Assets (AGP). AMPYR’s grid-scale battery projects offer innovative energy solutions, which are built from the ground up with customers in mind, to power Australia’s future industries. AMPYR’s energy solutions empower Australia’s future industries, like hyperscale datacentres, to decarbonise reliably and cost-effectively. AMPYR is on track to deliver more than 6 GWh of grid-scale battery storage in strategic grid locations by 2030, providing up to 20% of Australia’s future storage demand.
AMPYR is part of AGP, an independent global investor and asset manager that owns, develops and operates sustainable real assets across three core strategies: Energy, Digital Infrastructure (Data Centre) and Real Estate. AGP has over 13 GW of clean energy assets under development globally.
For more information, visit our website, or follow us on LinkedIn.
Media contact
Mia Calder
Email: Ampyr@slingstone.com
Phone: +61 407 769 616
The formal release can be found here:
20250807 Wambal Bila press release
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