Sam Markham of Fluence Australia believes grid-forming BESS are essential to deliver a safe, secure and affordable decarbonised power system.

Battery energy storage projects have emerged as the dominant force in Australia’s energy investment landscape, accounting for 46% of the nation’s 64GW development pipeline, according to the Australian Energy Market Operator’s (AEMO) latest quarterly report.

Tesla has announced that by the end of 2026, it expects to have around 4.5GW of grid-forming battery storage operating across Australia.

The Australian government has opened two CIS tenders in Western Australia, targeting 2.4GWh of energy storage and 1.6GW of renewables.

Australia’s AusEnergy Services (ASL), formerly AEMO Services, has released the Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS) Tender 6 parameters, seeking an initial 2,400MWh of dispatchable capacity in Western Australia.

Construction has officially started on the 100MW/400MWh 4-hour duration Merredin battery energy storage system (BESS) in Western Australia.

On 21 July, standalone BESS and solar-plus-storage each achieved new generation records in Western Australia’s SWIS.

Australia’s DCCEEW has announced plans to streamline the Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS) by transitioning to a one-stage process.

Developer Atmos Renewables has successfully achieved financial close on its 400MWh Merredin battery energy storage system (BESS) in Western Australia.

AEMO has issued a call for 6-hour duration BESS in Western Australia to support grid reliability as coal-fired power plants are withdrawn.