The Australian government has floated tenders for 1,600 MW of renewable energy and 2,400 MWh of clean dispatchable (energy storage) capacity in Western Australia as part of the Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS).

Registration for both tenders must be submitted by October 10, 2025.

Bids must be submitted by November 7, 2025. Successful bids will be announced in March or April 2026.

The renewable energy (Tender 5) and dispatchable capacity projects (Tender 6) must be located in Western Australia and connected, or intend to connect, to the South-West Interconnected System.

The storage projects must use energy from the grid or from renewable sources.

The renewable energy projects must have a minimum nameplate capacity of 30 MW. The storage projects must have a storage duration of at least two hours and a nameplate capacity of 30 MW.

Both types of projects must display a credible pathway to a commercial operation date (COD) before December 31, 2030. Projects with earlier estimated COD will be rated higher in eligibility.

The CIS aims to develop renewable generation and firming projects to deliver cheaper, cleaner, and more reliable energy for homes and businesses while coal is being phased out. Through this program, the Australian government plans to deliver 82% or 40 GW of renewable energy capacity nationwide by 2030.

The latest tender rounds target unlocking an estimated $4 billion of additional private investment in the wholesale electricity market for the south-west region of Western Australia, including the capital city of Perth.

Successful tenders are expected to secure at least 2.3 GW of renewable energy generation and 4.4 GWh of clean dispatchable capacity for Western Australia.

In March this year, Western Australia awarded four battery energy storage projects with a total capacity of 654 MW/2,595 MWh under CIS.

In December last year, the Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water selected 19 renewable energy projects totaling 6.38 GW, including eight hybrid power projects of 3.6 GWh under Tender 1 of the CIS.