The latest grid connection figures show record volumes of wind, solar and battery projects.
According to the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) June 2025 Connection Scorecard, 29 projects totalling 4.4 GW reached full output during the financial year – nearly double the 2.2 GW in the previous year.
A further 60 projects (15.7 GW) were approved, and 37 projects (9 GW) achieved registration.
Battery and solar+battery hybrids dominated the pipeline.
Of the 18 projects (6.5 GW) approved this quarter, 10 were standalone batteries (2.4 GW), four were solar+battery hybrids (1.7 GW), and two were standalone solar (322 MW). Two grid-forming battery projects (385 MW) and one grid-following battery (100 MW) reached full output.
AEMO highlighted an ongoing shift towards hybrid projects and grid-forming inverter technology.
These systems are increasingly seen as critical for maintaining system strength and inertia as synchronous generation retires.
“Grid-forming inverters are increasingly being proposed in new projects,” the report noted, with eight grid-forming batteries now registered or operating at full output.
The connections pipeline remains large and active.
At the end of June 2025, 113 projects (23 GW) were in the implementation phase, 89 projects (17 GW) were at application stage, 23 projects (6 GW) were in registration, and 17 (7 GW) were commissioning.
Connection timeframes varied, with full-output projects taking an average of 9.4 months, while applications and registrations averaged 5–6 months.
However, 53 per cent of commissioning-stage projects had been in that phase for more than a year, often due to onsite technical issues or complex commissioning plans.
Projects with alterations to increase capacity also featured, with 18 alterations recorded across the year.
State-level activity was led by Queensland (41.2 per cent of pipeline GW), followed by New South Wales (33.9 per cent) and Victoria (16.8 per cent).