How South Australia's grid-scale batteries performed in August 2026: energy and FCAS market revenue, $/MW, $/MWh, top performers, and price events.
South Australia (SA1) batteries earned $148k in estimated gross energy and FCAS market revenue so far in August 2026, from 12 grid-scale units tracked by NEMPulse. Figures cover August 2026 to date (through 1 Aug 2026).
Normalised across 1,014 MW and 1,577 MWh of registered capacity, the region earned $146/MW and $94/MWh for the period.
Total revenue was up 257% on the same days of July 2026, which returned $41k. Per MW per day — which strips out both fleet growth and the length of the window — earnings were up 259% at $146/MW/day. Optimal capture improved 40 points, from 24% to 64%.
Energy arbitrage supplied 98% of the total and FCAS 2%, with estimated Frequency Performance Payments adding $72. Within FCAS, regulation accounted for 81% and contingency 19%; the single largest market was lower regulation at $1k.
For context on the trading conditions, the average daily price spread (top two hours minus bottom two hours) in South Australia was $141/MWh, up 94% on the previous period, and the highest spot price reached $173/MWh.
Against the perfect-foresight energy benchmark, South Australia batteries captured 64% of what hindsight would have earned, an estimated $80k of unrealised upside.
On capture of the perfect-foresight energy benchmark, the strongest performers were Clements Gap BESS (89%), Bungama Battery Energy Storage System (78%), Torrens Island BESS (74%).
The strongest single day was 1 Aug 2026 at $148k, and the best single battery-day was Bungama Battery Energy Storage System on 1 Aug 2026 with $34k.
Bungama Battery Energy Storage System led the region with $34k. Full dispatch, state-of-charge and bidding detail is available on each battery's page.
| Battery | Energy + FCAS | $/MW | $/MWh | Capture |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bungama Battery Energy Storage System | $34k | $228/MW | $114/MWh | 78% |
| Blyth Battery Energy Storage System | $25k | $125/MW | $63/MWh | 42% |
| Torrens Island BESS | $25k | $100/MW | $100/MWh | 74% |
| Mannum Battery Energy Storage System | $23k | $230/MW | $115/MWh | 73% |
| Clements Gap BESS | $17k | $290/MW | $145/MWh | 89% |
| Hornsdale Power Reserve | $12k | $83/MW | $64/MWh | 46% |
| Tailem Bend 2 Hybrid Renewable Power Station | $5k | $111/MW | $111/MWh | — |
| Lake Bonney BESS1 | $4k | $159/MW | $77/MWh | — |
| Happy Valley Water Treatment Plant | $873 | $218/MW | $218/MWh | — |
| Dalrymple North BESS | $828 | $28/MW | $68/MWh | — |
| Bolivar Waste Water Treatment Plant | $451 | $225/MW | $225/MWh | — |
| Christies Beach Wastewater Treatment Plant | $398 | $186/MW | $199/MWh | — |
Capture = actual energy revenue as a share of the perfect-foresight LP benchmark; shown only for units with material modelled upside.
Keep reading: Previous period: July 2026NEM-wide wrap — August 2026South Australia 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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