Hopewell Energy Enters Australia's Long-Duration Energy Storage Market, Wins South Australian Government Tender

(Central News Agency reporter Chang Chien-chung, Hsinchu, 17th) Renewable energy company Hopewell Energy announced today that its ZEBRE platform has successfully entered Australia's long-duration energy storage and capacity market. The ZEBRE platform's Dartmoor energy storage project in South Australia has secured the first round of long-duration storage tenders under the South Australian government's Firming Energy Reliability Mechanism (FERM).

In a press release, Hopewell Energy stated that the Dartmoor energy storage project is a key long-duration storage initiative the company is advancing in South Australia, expected to reach a ready-to-build stage by 2028, with a project scale of 144MW.

Hopewell Energy said that securing the FERM tender will enhance revenue stability, asset value, and financing predictability through the long-term contract mechanism designed by the South Australian government.

The company noted that FERM focuses on procuring long-duration dispatchable capacity, requiring winning projects to provide stable support by discharging continuously for at least eight hours during periods of tight electricity supply and demand or high system stress.

With Australia's coal-fired power plants accelerating retirement and renewable energy penetration continuing to rise, Hopewell Energy said demand for long-duration storage capable of providing stable support during nighttime or low renewable output periods is rapidly increasing. As a result, energy storage assets with long-term revenue contracts and market dispatchability are becoming critical infrastructure in Australia's energy transition.

Hopewell Energy stated that its ZEBRE greenfield projects are expected to submit all development applications by the second quarter of 2026, aiming to secure development approval for 605MW of energy storage capacity. The company will simultaneously introduce investment-grade operations and maintenance agreements, with construction starting progressively from 2027, expanding its energy storage asset portfolio and revenue scale in Australia. (Editor: Chang Liang-chih) 1150617