NEMPulse · Insights · Fleet

NEM Battery Fleet Wrap — September 2026

Fleet-wide energy and FCAS market revenue, normalised $/MW and $/MWh, and the top-earning grid-scale batteries in September 2026.

  • Energy + FCAS revenue: $12.92M
  • Batteries: 58
  • Rev / MW: $1,392/MW
  • Rev / MWh: $601/MWh
  • Optimal capture: 65%
  • $/MW/day vs August 2026: +5%
  • VPP FCAS revenue: $2k

Across the Australian National Electricity Market, 58 grid-scale batteries earned a combined $12.92M in estimated gross energy and FCAS market revenue so far in September 2026, based on AEMO dispatch data tracked by NEMPulse. Figures cover September 2026 to date (through 11 Sep 2026).

Normalised across the fleet's 9,279 MW and 21,494 MWh of active capacity, batteries earned $1,392/MW and $601/MWh for the period.

Total revenue was up 24% on the same days of August 2026, which returned $10.44M. Per MW per day — which strips out both fleet growth and the length of the window — earnings were up 5% at $127/MW/day. Optimal capture improved 11 points, from 54% to 65%.

Energy arbitrage supplied 98% of the total and FCAS 2%, with estimated Frequency Performance Payments contributing the remaining 0% ($67k). Within FCAS, regulation accounted for 83% and contingency 17%; the single largest market was raise regulation at $117k.

For context on the trading conditions, the average daily price spread (top two hours minus bottom two hours) across the five NEM regions was $101/MWh, down 7% on the previous period, and the highest spot price reached $300/MWh.

Revenue per MW by battery duration class: 1H: $701/MW, 2H: $1,155/MW, 3H: $1,255/MW, 4H+: $2,853/MW. Longer-duration assets typically earn more per MW through energy arbitrage, while shorter-duration batteries often lead on a per-MWh basis.

On energy arbitrage, the fleet captured 65% of the revenue a perfect-foresight strategy would have earned over the same period, leaving an estimated $6.73M on the table.

Re-solving the same batteries on AEMO's published PREDISPATCH price forecasts instead of hindsight — execution held identical to the perfect run — reaches 77% of the perfect ceiling across the 11 forecast-covered days in the period, against 61% actually realised. That isolates what public price information alone is worth; it is a reference point, not a floor — real dispatch can beat it or fall short of it.

On capture of the perfect-foresight energy benchmark, the strongest performers were Western Downs Battery Energy Storage System (85%), Orana BESS (82%), Limondale Battery (82%). At the other end: Mornington BESS (3%), Eraring Battery Energy Storage System 2 (-32%), Stanwell Battery Energy Storage System (-116%) — capture reflects strategy, contracting and constraints as much as skill, so a low figure is not automatically underperformance.

The strongest single day was 3 Sep 2026 at $1.76M, and the best single battery-day was Eraring Battery Energy Storage System on 7 Sep 2026 with $223k.

The top earners were Orana BESS ($1.42M); Eraring Battery Energy Storage System ($1.05M); Supernode BESS ($863k).

Alongside grid-scale BESS, 13 residential virtual power plant (VPP) and demand-response aggregator units contributed an estimated $2k in FCAS market revenue so far in September 2026 ($36/MW of registered FCAS capacity). VPPs participate exclusively in FCAS markets through pooled residential and commercial assets.

NEMPulse recorded 6 significant price events during the period, the sharpest negative pricing in South Australia peaking at $-231/MWh. Each event, and how every battery responded, is broken down on the market events page.

Top batteries — September 2026
BatteryRegionEnergy + FCAS$/MW$/MWhCapture
Orana BESSNSW1$1.42M$3,420/MW$855/MWh82%
Eraring Battery Energy Storage SystemNSW1$1.05M$2,290/MW$527/MWh60%
Supernode BESSQLD1$863k$3,319/MW$792/MWh82%
Liddell Battery Energy Storage SystemNSW1$580k$1,160/MW$534/MWh61%
Melbourne Renewable Energy Hub Connection A3VIC1$575k$2,874/MW$718/MWh70%
Tarong BESSQLD1$480k$1,601/MW$800/MWh73%
Supernode BESSQLD1$446k$1,714/MW$818/MWh79%
Swanbank BESSQLD1$424k$1,698/MW$849/MWh77%
Western Downs Battery Energy Storage System (BESS)QLD1$421k$1,651/MW$826/MWh72%
Western Downs Battery Energy Storage SystemQLD1$409k$1,604/MW$1,023/MWh85%

Capture = actual energy revenue as a share of the perfect-foresight LP benchmark; shown only for units with material modelled upside.

Region breakdown — September 2026
RegionBatteriesEnergy + FCAS$/MW$/MWh
Queensland13$4.56M$1,773/MW$819/MWh
New South Wales15$4.22M$1,378/MW$494/MWh
Victoria16$2.78M$1,106/MW$520/MWh
South Australia14$1.37M$1,202/MW$664/MWh

$/MW uses Max Cap (the grid-constrained operational rating); $/MWh uses registered energy capacity.

In the news this period
Second SIPS testing completed at Waratah Super Battery on Friday afternoon 11th September 2026
WattClarity · 11 Sept 2026 · Waratah Super Battery
Australia: Akaysha Energy’s Waratah Super Battery tests full SIPS obligation as 850MW output recorded
Energy-Storage.News · 10 Sept 2026 · Waratah Super Battery

Third-party reporting on these units, matched automatically and linked for context. NEMPulse does not endorse or verify external coverage.

Keep reading: Previous period: August 2026Battery fleet dashboardPerformance rankingsActual vs optimal dispatchMarket eventsHow capture is calculated

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Automatically generated from AEMO public data using fixed templates (not AI-written). Figures are estimated gross market revenue (energy + FCAS) from dispatch — they exclude contracts, hedges and network-support schemes (e.g. SIPS), so actual commercial revenue will differ.

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