Australia Awards CIS Projects: Renewables and 482MW BESS

• Australia ramps up renewables: CIS selects 1,886MW wind/solar plus 482MW BESS in WA, and 5GW more under CIS 5/6—boosting reliable clean power and grid storage.

Australia has selected nearly 1,886 MW of wind and solar capacity and 482 MW of battery energy storage (BESS) through the latest rounds of its Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS), the federal government said Saturday. The projects total about 2.4 GW of renewables and are all located in Western Australia.

Separately, the government said it has also selected 5 GW across the CIS 5 and CIS 6 tenders for grid-scale storage and renewable capacity. The announcements expand Australia’s renewable and battery pipeline, supporting the development of generation and storage infrastructure aimed at strengthening reliability and supply.

How will Australia’s CIS selections expand Western Australia’s wind, solar, and battery capacity?

• The latest federal CIS selections will directly add new wind and solar generation projects in Western Australia, taking the state’s pipeline beyond existing commitments and increasing the volume of firming opportunities for the system operator.
  
• CIS wind and solar capacity in WA will increase the amount of energy available from renewable sources, helping reduce reliance on dispatchable generation during periods of high renewable output.
  
• The associated BESS awards (linked to these WA wind and solar selections) will expand grid-scale short- and medium-duration storage, improving the ability to shift renewable generation to times when demand is higher.
  
• Additional battery capacity will support grid stability by providing faster response to fluctuations in wind and solar output, which can reduce frequency and voltage stress on local networks.
  
• By pairing batteries with new renewable projects, the CIS selections will enable more “dispatchable renewables” behavior, improving reliability for retailers, large users, and network planning.
  
• The projects’ WA concentration means infrastructure build-outs—such as battery sites, grid connection upgrades, and associated electrical works—will compound within the state, accelerating regional delivery capacity.
  
• Combined renewables plus storage growth will strengthen WA’s capacity mix by adding both generation and flexibility, lowering curtailment risk as renewable penetration rises.
  
• The separate selection of 5 GW under CIS 5 and CIS 6 (including grid-scale storage and renewable capacity) further broadens the WA-relevant pipeline, likely increasing the overall pace of procurement and construction for new flexible infrastructure.
  
• A larger national and state pipeline increases competition and learning across developers and supply chains, which can help improve scheduling certainty for WA’s wind, solar, and battery rollouts.
  
• Expanding storage alongside generation supports reliability and supply targets by enabling batteries to cover shortfalls during low-wind/low-solar intervals and peak demand periods.