Australia commissioned 2.1 GW of new wind and solar capacity in Q4 2025, the highest ever for a single quarter and 57% higher than the previous record set in Q3 2021, says CEC
A total of 9 projects across Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia were energized, representing more than AUD 3.3 billion in capital expenditure
Utility-scale energy storage additions reached a record 1 GW/2.3 GWh in the quarter, well above the previous quarter’s levels
Renewables supplied 51% of electricity in the NEM for the first time in Q4 2025, meeting up to 77% of peak demand
Project pipelines remain strong despite ongoing planning and grid connection challenges
The last quarter of 2025 outperformed all other quarters on record for newly commissioned renewable and storage capacity in Australia as it energized 2.1 GW of new capacity in the form of 9 wind and solar farms, says Clean Energy Council (CEC), representing 63% of the year’s total operating capacity. These facilities represent a CapEx of over AUD 3.3 billion.
The record addition of 2.1 GW capacity is 57% more than the previous record of 1.3 GW in Q3 2021. Of the total, 4 projects were commissioned in Queensland, 3 in New South Wales (NSW), and 1 each in Victoria and South Australia.
It was also a record quarter for utility-scale energy storage additions with 1 GW/2.3 GWh capacity coming online, compared to the previous quarter’s 541 MW/1,766 MWh.
Altogether, Australia commissioned 3.3 GW of new renewable energy generation and 1.9 GW/4.9 GWh of battery storage capacity in 2025.
“The final quarter of last year saw many new renewables records broken,” said CEC CEO Jackie Trad. “The seasonal rush to close out on projects before years’ end, together with more political stability in the second half of 2025, ended the year on a stronger note than where it started.”
Renewables also provided 51% of all electricity in the National Electricity Market (NEM) for the 1st time in Q4 2025, reaching up to 77% of peak demand.
During the quarter, 5 projects with 1.2 GW renewable generation capacity worth AUD 3.5 billion reached financial close – “an uplift from more subdued investment in the prior three quarters.” This includes the 300 MW Blind Creek Solar Farm in NSW. In the battery storage space, 5 projects (1.1 GW/2.8 GWh) reached financial close.
Trad highlighted the need to streamline planning and approval processes and ensure transmission infrastructure to connect newer projects to the NEM. Queensland, for instance, has the longest delivery timelines of 23 months for solar, 37 months for wind, and 28 months for utility-scale batteries.
The future looks bright as the country's pipeline comprises 81 renewable energy generation projects totaling nearly 13 GW and 75 storage projects totaling 13 GW/34.7 GWh. This is either financially committed or under construction, according to the report.
The Quarterly investment report: Large-scale renewable generation and storage Q4 2025 is available for free download on CEC’s website.
