The New South Wales Government will include a 1,500 MW carve-out for gas-fired generation in its 2027 Long-Term Energy Service Agreement firming tender. The procurement process is designed to replace retiring coal capacity by May 2033. Eligible projects must provide eight hours of dispatchable capacity to participate in the tender. The announcement prompted interest from EnergyAustralia for its 1.4 GW Marulan project. Squadron Energy responded to the tender parameters with calls for investment signals.
AEMO issued a direction to a participant in the Queensland region on 13 October. The market operator stated the intervention was necessary to maintain the power system in a secure operating state. AEMO also published Medium Term PASA results identifying that annual unserved energy exceeds the reliability standard in Victoria. The shortfall is identified between October 2027 and October 2028. The market operator declared a Low Reserve Condition for the state.
New South Wales battery storage assets generated approximately $5.63 million in revenue during a two-hour price spike on 12 October. Wholesale electricity costs reached a peak of $23,107/MWh in the regional market during the event. WattClarity analysed coal-fired generation availability across the NEM on the same day. The software vendor stated that current and upcoming plant outages faced scrutiny