Australia’s $1 billion Warratah Battery project, the largest in the Southern Hemisphere and touted as critical infrastructure, has suffered a catastrophic failure. A transformer at the site north of Sydney is now “beyond repair,” pushing back timelines and casting doubt on what was once presented as a model of the renewable future. This wasn’t just any project. Built on a decommissioned coal-fired power plant, using existing transmission lines, and designed to stabilise the grid while unlocking the potential of renewables, the Warratah Battery was supposed to be a poster child for clean energy. Instead, it stands as a monument to ambition...