Australia awards 7.8 GW renewable projects, launches 5 GW Tender 9

Australia’s Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water announced the award of 19 renewable energy projects under Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS) Tender 7, delivering a combined 7.8 GW of wind, solar and hybrid capacity – more than the 5 GW initially offered. Eight of the projects are hybrid, pairing generation with battery storage, supplying over 2 GW (7.9 GWh) of storage. The winning projects will provide enough clean electricity for more than four million households, create roughly 19,000 construction jobs and 1,500 ongoing operations jobs, and include commitments of AUD 504.6 million in community benefits, AUD 678.7 million for First Nations, and AUD 257 million in Australian‑made steel.

The government has opened CIS Tender 9, seeking an additional 5 GW of renewable generation capacity across the National Electricity Market, with allocations for Victoria (1.6 GW) and Tasmania (300 MW) and a 500 MW reserve for First Nations projects. NSW is excluded as its quota was met in earlier rounds. The tender caps solar‑only projects in Victoria at 470 MW and requires projects to be at least 30 MW and operational by 31 December 2030. Registration closes on 6 July 2026.