Battery hybrid projects are the hot ticket at the moment, making up eight of the 19 projects to receive federal backing under Tender 7 of the Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS).
Six battery energy storage systems (BESS) will be paired with solar farms, and another two will be paired with wind farms. On the solar–BESS front, the Birriwa (ACEN Australia), Gundary (Lightsource bp), Wattle Creek and Dinawan (both Spark Renewables), Gunning and Moranbah (both Zero-E/Grupo Cobra) projects will receive federal underwriting, while the Baldon (Goldwind/Omni) and Bungaban (Windlab) wind–BESS projects were also recognised.
This amounts to 7.8 gigawatts (GW) of renewable generation and a further 7.9GWh of battery storage through hybrid projects. No standalone BESS projects were selected in this tender.
These projects are expected to unlock an estimated $17 billion in private investment and create 19,000 construction jobs, with more than $257 million worth of Australian steel used to build the structures.
It comes after 10 Western Australian projects were selected under Tender 5 and 6 of the CIS in early May, amounting to 1.9GW of renewable generation and 3.68GWh of battery storage.
This was called the “biggest electricity boost in WA history”.
“The success of these tenders demonstrates a strong pipeline of renewable energy projects in Western Australia, particularly for onshore wind,” Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy Josh Wilson said.
“We’ve already seen renewable generation reach 46.1 per cent in the WEM (Western Energy Market) between January and March, which is more than 5 per cent higher than the same period last year. This will drive WA’s renewable energy capacity to the next level.”
Tender 9 of the CIS – which will target 5GW of renewable generation – is open to all states apart from NSW, where proponents can apply for the NSW Roadmap generation tenders. Tender 9 will involve a dedicated capacity allocation for projects that commit to 5 per cent or higher equity and/or revenue sharing agreements with First Nations Communities.
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