Across the NEM as a whole, charging approached 4,000MW around midday, equivalent to roughly 11.3% of consumption, during a period when renewable energy and storage output reached about 70% of demand and curtailment peaked at approximately 2,369MW.
Eldridge noted that battery storage systems moving from near 4GW of charging during the day to more than 4.3GW of discharge by evening represents an intraday operating swing of roughly 8.3GW, showcasing the scale at which the fleet now cycles rather than measuring energy supplied.
The year-on-year comparison is what gives the figures their weight. NEM battery discharge is up 111% on the record that stood a year earlier, NSW discharge is up 212%, and Victorian charging is up 86%, according to Eldridge’s analysis.
A fleet expanding faster than the market can absorb it
The records sit within a broader pattern of rapid capacity growth. Australia’s NEM connected 9.1GW of new generation and storage to full output in the 2026 financial year, more than double the FY25 result, with battery storage projects dominating the technology mix, according to AEMO’s quarterly connections scorecard.
