CIS Generation Update: Tender 7 awards 71% to wind, and Tender 9 shifts focus to deliverability
CIS Generation Update: Tender 7 awards 71% to wind, and Tender 9 shifts focus to deliverability
On 23 May 2026, DCCEEW announced the results of the Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS) Tender 7. The round sought 5 GW of new NEM generation capacity. Both standalone and hybrid renewable projects were eligible. In the end, 7.8 GW was awarded across 19 projects, overshooting the target by 56%.
Wind took 71% of the awarded capacity. That reverses Tender 4, the NEM’s last generation tender, which was solar and hybrid heavy. Because wind hybrids size their batteries more for grid services rather than arbitrage, the storage ratio was lower. So co-located storage fell 41% versus Tender 4, despite the record total generation volume.
Looking ahead, Tender 8 (4 GW of dispatchable capacity) reports results in June. Tender 9 (5 GW generation) just opened (25 May). Both rounds bring rule changes that align with shifting NEM priorities, as we cover later in this article.
Executive summary
- Tender 7 overshot its 5 GW target by 56%, awarding 7.8 GW across 19 projects across all NEM states.
- Wind held 71% of generation, reversing the solar-led mix of Tender 4. Origin's 1.5 GW Yanco Delta, Windlab's 1.15 GW Bungaban, and Theodore Energy's 1.0 GW Theodore Wind Farm account for nearly half of all awarded capacity between them.
- Hybrid BESS capacity fell to 2 GW, down 41% from 3.5GW in Tender 4.
- Solar-hybrid sizing held near 1:1, but wind hybrids relied on storage far less, with Baldon and Bungaban carrying batteries sized at roughly 10% and 30% of their wind capacity.
- CIS Tender 8 results (4 GW dispatchable) land in June 2026. Tender 9 opened on 25 May, seeking another 5 GW of NEM generation.
Wind makes up 71% of awarded capacity
CIS Tender 7 awarded 5.6 GW of wind capacity across 10 projects, against 2.9 GW in Tender 4. Yanco Delta (1.5 GW), Bungaban (1.15 GW), and Theodore (1.0 GW) are the largest single CISA awards in the scheme's history. Cellars Hill, Bullawah Stage 1, Willatook, and Baldon all cleared 300 MW or above.
Geographically, the round skewed toward New South Wales (3.9 GW, 9 projects) and Queensland (2.7 GW, 5 projects). Together, they took 85% of the awarded capacity. Tasmania (0.5 GW), Victoria (0.4 GW), and South Australia (0.3 GW) made up the remainder. Notably, Victoria's solar projects were excluded from this round under the state's Renewable Energy Transformation Agreements (RETA). So the Victorian allocation went entirely to wind.
