AEMO has set out a storage requirement of almost 50GW in its latest 2026 Integrated System Plan (ISP), split between 35GW of short and medium-duration battery storage for daily firming and 5GW of long-duration energy storage (LDES) for seasonal reliability.
The Australian government has announced the results of Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS) Tender 8, selecting 15 battery energy storage projects across the National Electricity Market (NEM), totalling 4.2GW/16.1GWh.
In this interview with Energy-Storage.news, Colin Koon Peng Ho of Banpu NEXT explains why policy certainty now outweighs cost in APAC battery storage investment decisions, and discusses regulatory barriers, supply chain localisation and the most attractive BESS opportunities.