International players see Australia as a key renewable energy hotspot, particularly in the BESS (battery energy storage system) game.
A report from Rystad Energy from December indicated that the utility-scale battery integrator market was becoming “extremely competitive”.
“In prior years, the top two integrators accounted for over 70 per cent of the market, but the top two accounted for only 40 per cent in 2025,” the report stated.
Fluence (2.6GWh), Tesla (2.2GWh) and Wärtsilä (2GWh) were the top Australian BESS integrators of 2025, with other players including Hithium, CATL and Trina Storage.
Power Electronics was the largest inverter provider for Australia’s utility-scale battery market with 2.2GW, with Tesla and SMA the only other providers over 600MW.
Ingeteam was the only other known inverter supplier for a utility-scale BESS, Rystad found, through its support of the Maryvale solar–BESS hybrid project in NSW.
Investment
From two Capacity Investment Scheme auctions that occurred in the year to December 2025 (10.7GW in total), the lion’s share of investment went to utility-scale battery projects – either standalone or solar–BESS hybrids.
CIS tender 3, which occurred in March, supported 4.1GW/15.4GWh of battery capacity alone.
Of the 36 CIS beneficiaries in 2025, three had commenced construction by December 2025, all of which incorporated batteries (Goulburn River solar–BESS, Mornington BESS and Calala BESS).
Other trends
The National Electricity Market saw 21GW of new green projects approved, 8.4GW of which was utility-scale batteries, with onshore wind coming in second place with 6.9GW approved.
Of the 5GW of utility-scale solar, wind and battery capacity that commenced construction in the year to December 2025, 4.1GW of this was for BESS projects.
“Utility batteries have garnered, for the third consecutive year, the highest capacity to start construction among all technologies,” the report stated.
And when it comes to energisation, the utility sector comprised 6GW of the 9.04GW of generation capacity that entered the NEM in the year to the end of November 2025. Utility-scale batteries made up 3.8GW of this, with Snowy Hydro’s 750MW Kurri Kurri gas plant the only gas plant energised in 2025.
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