Bungama West BESS clears its final grid hurdle — construction-ready and open for acquisition

Risen Energy Australia’s 200 MW / 400 MWh Bungama West Battery Energy Storage System, located near Port Pirie in South Australia, has received the formal Section 5.3.4A clearance letter from the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), issued through ElectraNet — South Australia’s transmission network service provider.

The letter confirms that all Generator Performance Standard (GPS) due diligence, stability assessments and negotiated access standard approvals required under the National Electricity Rules have been formally accepted. ElectraNet is now positioned to issue an Offer to Connect, paving the way for execution of a Transmission Connection Agreement (TCA) and the commencement of construction.

Risen Energy Australia is actively inviting investors, co-developers and outright acquirers to engage in discussions about the project — one of the most advanced large-scale BESS assets available in South Australia today.

What the 5.3.4A milestone means

In the National Electricity Market, the Section 5.3.4A letter is among the most technically demanding milestones in the connection process. It is issued by AEMO only after the network service provider and AEMO have completed all required generator performance standard assessments — including electromagnetic transient studies, stability modelling, system strength impact assessments, and formal negotiation of access standards under the National Electricity Rules.

For investors and developers, the significance is straightforward: the years of technical work, regulatory engagement and modelling effort that represent the greatest source of timeline risk in battery storage development are complete. Bungama West BESS is, in every practical sense, construction-ready.

A fully approved development platform

The Section 5.3.4A clearance is one of three critical approvals that together make Bungama West one of the most comprehensively de-risked large-scale BESS projects available in Australia today. For an acquirer, this means no planning risk, no land tenure risk, and no grid connection risk:

• Development consent — all required planning and environmental approvals have been obtained, enabling construction to commence upon execution of the Transmission Connection Agreement.
• Land ownership — Risen Energy Australia owns the project land outright, eliminating tenure risk entirely and simplifying transaction structuring.
• Grid connection clearance — Section 5.3.4A letter received, with TCA execution as the only remaining step before construction.

The combination of planning consent, freehold land ownership and grid connection clearance in a single project is rare in the Australian BESS market, and represents a compelling platform for an acquirer seeking to move from transaction to construction with minimal delay.

Strategic location in South Australia’s energy hub

Bungama West is situated near Port Pirie, approximately 220 km north of Adelaide, adjacent to ElectraNet’s Bungama substation — a proven 275 kV connection point that serves as a major node in South Australia’s high-voltage transmission network. The Bungama precinct has established itself as one of Australia’s most strategically important locations for large-scale battery storage, offering validated grid infrastructure, high renewable penetration and a proven connection pathway.

The project’s 2-hour storage duration is precisely matched to the ancillary service, frequency control and energy arbitrage revenue streams that have underpinned strong BESS commercial performance across South Australia and the broader NEM.

Artist’s impression — Bungama West BESS, adjacent to ElectraNet’s 275 kV Bungama substation near Port Pirie, South Australia.

Meeting an urgent and growing market need

South Australia is forecast by the AEMC to begin experiencing electricity reliability gaps as early as 2026–27, driven by the accelerating exit of thermal generation and rapid growth in variable renewables. AEMO’s draft 2026 Integrated System Plan projects grid-scale battery deployment nationally reaching 24 GW by 2030 — nearly double previous forecasts.

Australia is now the world’s third-largest utility-scale battery storage market, with average BESS revenues of approximately AU$140,000–150,000 per megawatt per year recorded in 2025. Against this backdrop, a shovel-ready 200 MW / 400 MWh asset in South Australia represents a rare and time-sensitive commercial opportunity.

The project is also well positioned for the Australian Government’s Capacity Investment Scheme: CIS Tender 10 is currently seeking 16 GWh of energy storage nationally, and construction-ready projects with cleared grid connections are exactly the profile the scheme is designed to accelerate.

Equipment and commercial flexibility

Risen Energy Australia is in a position to make its BESS equipment procurement available to acquirers as part of any transaction structure. In a market where battery equipment lead times remain a material constraint on delivery timelines, this is a meaningful advantage for buyers seeking to move efficiently from acquisition to construction.

The project can be structured on merchant, contracted or CIS-supported terms, providing flexibility for acquirers with different capital and revenue requirements.

The achievement of the 5.3.4A milestone for the Bungama West Project is significant for Risen Energy Australia. Just a year ago, we achieved 5.3.4A for our Coleambally BESS project, which was subsequently sold to Octopus. There is now a real opportunity for this project to move forward, and we are excited to work with both local and international investors to realise it.

— Rose Lin, Global Coordinator, Risen Energy

Project at a glance

Project	Bungama West Battery Energy Storage System (BESS)
Capacity	200 MW / 400 MWh (2-hour duration)
Location	Bungama, near Port Pirie, South Australia (~220 km north of Adelaide)
Grid connection	275 kV via ElectraNet’s Bungama substation
Development consent	Obtained — scope to increase to 4-hour duration; DA amendment in progress
Land ownership	Owned outright by Risen Energy Australia
AEMO status	Section 5.3.4A clearance letter received — all GPS, stability studies and access standards approved
Next milestone	Transmission Connection Agreement execution → construction commencement
Revenue model	Merchant, CIS-contracted or hybrid; eligible for CIS Tender 10
BESS equipment	Available as part of any transaction structure

Expressions of interest

Parties wishing to discuss the Bungama West BESS opportunity — including full project acquisition, co-development partnerships or financial investment structures — are invited to contact:

Qiao Nan Han, CEO, Risen Energy Australia qiao.han@risenenergy.com.au · +61 475 786 635

Or register your interest through our contact form and the team will come back to you directly.

Market data referenced in this announcement is sourced from the AEMC, AEMO, Energy-Storage.News and other publicly available industry sources, current as at May 2026. Revenue figures are indicative industry averages only. All figures in Australian dollars.