Australia has initiated bidding in a landmark 6-gigawatt (GW) tender for renewable energy capacity, marking the country's largest single auction of its kind. Simultaneously, New South Wales (NSW) has announced a solicitation for proposals for up to 1 GW of battery storage capacity.
The Australian federal government has commenced the submissions period for the 6-GW auction, which is the first in a series of half-yearly competitions under the expanded 32-GW Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS). This scheme focuses on acquiring dispatchable and variable capacity.
New South Wales is slated to be the primary beneficiary of the tender round, with at least 2.2 GW of the capacity reserved for the southeastern state. Victoria will receive around 1.4 GW, while Tasmania and South Australia will each be allocated 300 MW. The remaining 1.8 GW is designated for projects across the National Electricity Market, including Queensland. Proposals are due by July 1, with all selected projects expected to be completed by 2027.
In Western Australia, the first round of tenders, set to open mid-year, will offer 500 MW of dispatchable power through storage.
Concurrently, New South Wales has commenced its largest energy storage tender to date, aiming to award contracts for up to 1 GW of projects capable of providing at least eight hours of long-duration storage. This initiative aligns with the state's objective of achieving 2 GW of battery capacity by 2030.
The NSW Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap Tender 5 invites projects to connect to new planned infrastructure within Renewable Energy Zones (REZ) in the state or to existing statewide infrastructure facilities.
