How New South Wales's grid-scale batteries performed in H1 2026: energy and FCAS market revenue, $/MW, $/MWh, top performers, and price events.
New South Wales (NSW1) batteries earned $31.33M in estimated gross energy and FCAS market revenue in H1 2026, from 12 grid-scale units tracked by NEMPulse. Figures cover the full period.
Normalised across 2,209 MW and 6,670 MWh of registered capacity, the region earned $14k/MW and $4,697/MWh for the period.
Total revenue was up 83% on H2 2025, which returned $17.12M. Per MW per day — which strips out both fleet growth and the length of the window — earnings were up 12% at $78/MW/day. Optimal capture improved 12 points, from 30% to 43%.
Energy arbitrage supplied 98% of the total and FCAS 1%, with estimated Frequency Performance Payments contributing the remaining 1% ($194k). Within FCAS, regulation accounted for 86% and contingency 14%; the single largest market was raise regulation at $222k.
For context on the trading conditions, the average daily price spread (top two hours minus bottom two hours) in New South Wales was $148/MWh, down 44% on the previous period, and the highest spot price reached $20,300/MWh.
Against the perfect-foresight energy benchmark, New South Wales batteries captured 43% of what hindsight would have earned, an estimated $40.11M of unrealised upside.
On capture of the perfect-foresight energy benchmark, the strongest performers were Eraring Battery Energy Storage System (61%), Limondale Battery (60%), Smithfield Battery Energy Storage System, Units 1 - 36 (55%). At the other end: Orana BESS (9%), New England BESS (4%), Liddell Battery Energy Storage System (-53%) — capture reflects strategy, contracting and constraints as much as skill, so a low figure is not automatically underperformance.
The strongest single day was 10 Jan 2026 at $6.55M, and the best single battery-day was Eraring Battery Energy Storage System on 10 Jan 2026 with $3.65M. Revenue stays concentrated: five of the period's 181 days delivered 35% of everything New South Wales batteries earned.
2 batteries earned their first market revenue in the period — Orana BESS, Quorn Park Solar Hybrid — adding 434 MW of earning capacity.
Eraring Battery Energy Storage System led the region with $19.94M. Full dispatch, state-of-charge and bidding detail is available on each battery's page.
New South Wales saw 13 price events this period, the sharpest an extreme price event peaking at $20,300/MWh.
| Battery | Energy + FCAS | $/MW | $/MWh | Capture |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eraring Battery Energy Storage System | $19.94M | $43k/MW | $9,983/MWh | 61% |
| Capital Battery | $2.06M | $21k/MW | $10k/MWh | 40% |
| Smithfield Battery Energy Storage System, Units 1 - 36 | $1.98M | $30k/MW | $15k/MWh | 55% |
| Waratah Super Battery | $1.52M | $1,785/MW | $904/MWh | 9% |
| Riverina Energy Storage System 1 | $1.51M | $25k/MW | $13k/MWh | 53% |
| Riverena Energy Storage System 2 | $1.39M | $21k/MW | $11k/MWh | 54% |
| Limondale Battery | $1.37M | $27k/MW | $2,555/MWh | 60% |
| Wallgrove BESS 1 | $906k | $18k/MW | $12k/MWh | 39% |
| Broken Hill Battery Energy Storage System | $582k | $12k/MW | $12k/MWh | 39% |
| Darlington Point Energy Storage System | $527k | $21k/MW | $11k/MWh | 54% |
| Orana BESS | $219k | $528/MW | $132/MWh | 9% |
| Quorn Park Solar Hybrid | $40k | $2,125/MW | $1,009/MWh | 38% |
Capture = actual energy revenue as a share of the perfect-foresight LP benchmark; shown only for units with material modelled upside.
Third-party reporting on these units, matched automatically and linked for context. NEMPulse does not endorse or verify external coverage.
Keep reading: Previous period: H2 2025NEM-wide wrap — H1 2026New South Wales battery fleetActual 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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