Australia seeks dispatchable capacity via CIS tender 8

Bid submission is until 6 February 2026.

Australia has opened the eighth tender of the Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS) for the National Electricity Market.

According to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, this round will add 16 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of clean, dispatchable energy storage, such as batteries, to the NEM. That is enough to power the peak load of 3.7 million homes for 4 hours.

For this tender, aggregated projects refer to bids comprised of multiple stand-alone dispatchable projects that together will deliver between 5 and 30 megawatts (MW) to the NEM.

Registration for interested parties is open until 23 January 2026, with bid submission closing on 6 February 2026.

This tender will build on the success of previous rounds, with 18.8 gigawatts (GW) announced so far and a further 7.2 GW currently out in active tenders.

The CIS is a cornerstone of the Australian Government’s plan to deliver 82% renewables by 2030. It aims to deliver 40 GW of new renewable capacity across Australia, supported by gas, storage and transmission.