VicGrid appointed ACCIONA to develop transmission infrastructure for a 2 GW offshore wind zone in Gippsland. The Victorian government agency selected the infrastructure company as the preferred development partner for the project. The transmission infrastructure aims to integrate large-scale offshore generation into the Victorian grid. The project is intended to reduce future reliance on gas-fired firming.
The Clean Energy Regulator recorded 3.5 GW of large-scale solar final investment decisions in 2026. The total includes 1 GW of capacity committed during the September quarter. The volume represents an annual record for large-scale solar financial commitments in Australia.
Victorian Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny approved WestWind Energy's Warracknabeal Energy Park. The development is slated to become the largest wind farm in Australia. The project will now proceed to the federal assessment stage to secure environmental clearance. The approval marks a milestone for the proposed renewable energy facility.
The Western Australian government awarded major contracts to Acciona, GenusPlus and UGL Engineering. The Western Australian businesses will deliver the first stage of the Clean Energy Link East transmission project. The infrastructure development is managed by Western Power. The project aims to support local industry and create jobs in the state.
Atmos Renewables awarded Valo a contract to deliver the 400 MW Teebar battery in Queensland. The 1,600 MWh system will use Wärtsilä GridSolve technology. The new energy storage integrator will deploy more than 440 containerised batteries for the project owner. The facility will provide large-scale energy storage capacity to the Queensland grid.
Aggregated home battery owners received a $2 million payout following price spikes in New South Wales. The volatility coincided with unseasonal heat, coal plant outages and transmission constraints. The event highlights the growing role of distributed storage in managing grid stress during unexpected supply and demand imbalances.
AGL was served with a Federal Court class action lawsuit regarding its carbon neutral gas and electricity products. The proceeding alleges that customers paid a premium for the gentailer's offerings. The lawsuit challenges the environmental claims made by the company regarding its energy products.
AEMO issued a market notice regarding reserve levels in Queensland. The operator stated that a forecast Lack of Reserve Level 2 condition was not declared for the region. The condition was forecast to occur between 15:30 and 16:00. The market operator considered the forecast condition to be transient and expected it to be resolved through normal dispatch. WattClarity noted that similar notices were issued for both Thursday and Friday.
WattClarity estimated that unscheduled price responsive resources delivered demand oscillations in New South Wales on 12 October 2026. WattClarity stated that demand side responses occurred during large price fluctuations. WattClarity explored supply side factors contributing to the volatility, including coal unit unavailability. WattClarity also noted that demand was elevated due to heat but was not particularly notable.
The NEM average price settled at $65.90/MWh, ranking sixth for the week and falling below the seven day average of $88.70/MWh. New South Wales recorded the highest regional average at $87.00/MWh and reached a demand peak of 8,369 MW at 18:35. South Australia reached a high of $152/MWh at 04:55, while Tasmania recorded the lowest price of negative $12/MWh at 12:25. South Australia and Victoria each experienced 11.3 hours of negative prices, and Tasmania recorded 10.7 hours. Renewables supplied 49.3 per cent of energy, peaking at 71.8 per cent at 12:10, while frequency control ancillary services spiked in Tasmania with regulation raise reaching $18,524/MW.
Brent Crude rose 3.6 per cent to US$109.69 a barrel. Natural Gas fell 3.8 per cent to US$3.11 per million British thermal units.
AER published a draft decision granting Australian Gas Networks exemptions from gas ring-fencing obligations. The exemptions apply to hydrogen trial projects in South Australia and Gladstone. The regulator received a cost pass through application from ElectraNet to recover expenses from an October 2024 storm event in South Australia. Transgrid submitted a cost pass through application to recover network support costs incurred in 2025-26. Transgrid also submitted a response to the regulator's draft network resilience guidelines. AEMO opened consultation on proposed changes to the compensation methodology for hybrid facilities, with submissions closing on 13 November.