Australia selects 15 battery storage projects in CIS tender
The Australian government has selected 15 energy storage projects in its eighth CIS tender, which attracted more than 70 bids totaling 76.4 GW in dispatchable capacity – almost 20 times more than the 4 GW target.
Australian Federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen said 15 projects with a combined storage capacity of 4.2 GW/16.1 GWh capacity – or enough to support the peak load of more than 3.7 million households in the National Electricity Market (NEM) for four hours – have been awarded revenue underwriting agreements in CIS Tender 8.
The biggest project among the 15 winners is the 400 MW/1,602 MWh Rutherglen battery energy storage project being developed in Queensland’s Gladstone region by Gryphon Energy and Red Hill Renewable Energy in collaboration with Ampyr Energy Australia.
Ampyr also secured backing for its 350 MW/1,428 MWh Grahams battery project being developed in Queensland, the 300 MW/600 MWh Bulabul 1 energy storage system in New South Wales (NSW), and the 375 MW/1,522 MWh Wimpole project planned for Victoria.
Other notable winners include the 400 MW/1,600 MWh Gelston Energy Park project being developed by Ascera Energy in NSW, while Edify Energy has secured support for its neighboring Ganymirra and Majors Creek battery projects that will deliver a combined 500 MW/1,000 MWh in Queensland.
Bowen said the strength and quality of the bids was clear, with proposed capacity exceeding the tender target by almost five to one with 73 bids totalling 76.4 GW received. The tender was targeting 4 GW/16 GWh of clean dispatchable capacity in the NEM.
The minister said the successful energy storage projects will unlock private investment in cleaner and cheaper energy and deliver a more secure energy grid, less vulnerable to conflicts overseas.
“We’ve got the best sun and wind in the world, and we’re using our sovereign renewables, stored in batteries, to shield our grid from global energy volatility and to bring down your energy bills,” said Bowen. “These batteries will soak up cheap renewable energy during the day and send it back into the grid when demand is highest, helping keep the lights on and bills down.”
The 15 successful Tender 8 projects are expected to unlock about $6 billion in private investment and deliver an estimated AUD 343 million ($236.6 million) in benefits for local communities and Australian industry. This includes AUD 62 million in community benefits and AUD 52 million for the use of Australian steel. The projects are expected to create more than 6,800 jobs across construction, operations and maintenance.
“Our Capacity Investment Scheme is turning Australia’s pipeline of clean energy projects into jobs in regional communities and cheaper, more reliable power for millions of homes,” Bowen said.
The tender is one of a number held as part of the CIS initiative, which is seeking 40 GW of renewable generation and dispatchable capacity to support system reliability as ageing coal-fired power stations retire and to help deliver the Australian government’s 82% renewable electricity target by 2030 target.
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