APAC BESS daily brief · 9 Nov 2026

LG Energy Solution sits out Korea's 1,180 MW third ESS central contract tender, leaving Samsung SDI and SK On

LG Energy Solution said on 5 November it did not take part in the third ESS central contract tender, declining to chase short-term volume through price competition. The 1,180 MW (about 7.08 GWh) round narrows to Samsung SDI and SK On, with the preferred bidder expected this month.

• LG Energy Solution says it will prioritise volumes already won in rounds one and two and the government's AI distribution-grid ESS project (140 MWh in Honam, operating for 20 years from 2027), and denies leaving the domestic market.
• LG's earlier shares: 136 MW (24%) in round one and 79 MW (14%) in round two. In round two SK On won 284 MW (50.3%) and Samsung SDI about 202 MW (35.7%).

• Korean media put the round at around KRW 2 trillion. Average bid prices fell from the 30-won range per kWh in round one to the 20-won range in round two, which industry sources call hard to make profitable. Exact contract value: Not publicly disclosed.
• View: fewer bidders may ease downward price pressure, but round-two pricing remains the key reference for sizing third-round revenue and debt service.

• KPX announced the third round on 22 September: 1,180 MW in total (1,100 MW mainland, 80 MW Jeju), about 7.08 GWh, roughly equal to the first round's 540 MW and second round's 565 MW combined.
• Price and non-price criteria each carry 50%. Document submission closes on 11 November, the preferred bidder is expected within November, and winners must complete construction by February 2029.

Sources: THE ELEC · ZDNet Korea · Topstar News · Financial News

A.D.Works completes its third operating grid battery, about 2 MW/8 MWh in Nichinan, Miyazaki

ADW Miyazaki Nichinan, about 2 MW/8 MWh, was completed and handed over on 6 November as A.D.Works' third operating site. It will start in the wholesale market and plans to enter the balancing market around February 2027.

• The site in Nichinan, Miyazaki, has completed grid connection and test runs; balancing market entry is subject to prior review.
• The company says it has secured 11 development sites, including contracted ones.

• Investment amount and lenders: Not publicly disclosed.

Sources: PR TIMES (A.D.Works)

Ireland's CRU approves up to 500 MW of LDES procurement, but 10-year contracts draw industry concern

Ireland's regulator CRU approved up to 500 MW of long-duration storage procurement, requiring at least four hours of import and export, through a competitive tender with a revenue floor. Contracts run 10 years, which Energy Storage Ireland says is significantly shorter than other markets; it recommends around 15 years.

• Energy Storage Ireland contrasted the 10-year term with the 25-year contracts under the UK LDES cap-and-floor scheme.
• View: a shorter revenue underpin could limit debt tenor and sizing.

• CRU published its decision in October 2026 and describes the volume as 'a ceiling rather than a target'. The design is technology-neutral, with the revenue floor capped by levelised cost of storage and a 70:30 revenue share above the floor, 30% going to consumers.
• Eligible size is a minimum of 20 MW (hybrid) or 75 MW (standalone) up to 100 MW, with at least 75% round-trip efficiency. Tender weighting is 50% cost, 30% impact and 20% connection method.

Sources: ESS News

India's Cabinet approves INR 145 billion viability gap funding for 92 GWh of storage, including 30 GWh of BESS

India's Union Cabinet approved INR 145 billion (about $1.5 billion) of viability gap funding for grid-scale storage from FY2026-27 to FY2030-31, targeting 92 GWh. Projects will be allocated through tariff-based competitive bidding, with a 40% domestic content requirement for BESS.

• View: combining VGF with a 40% domestic content rule may make the trade-off between bid tariffs and battery procurement cost a focus of lender due diligence.

• The Cabinet approved the scheme on 4 November (PTI). The 92 GWh comprises 60 GWh of pumped hydro, 30 GWh of BESS and 2 GWh of alternative technologies.
• Total estimated investment is INR 976 billion; public and private distribution companies can receive VGF for BESS and pumped hydro projects.

Sources: ESS News · Business Standard / PTI

China Green Development connects 60 MW/600 MWh liquid-air storage demonstration project in Golmud, Qinghai

A liquid-air storage demonstration project in Golmud, Qinghai, developed by China Green Development Investment Group with the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, connected to the grid on 30 October. Rated at 60 MW/600 MWh with 10 hours of continuous discharge, it is a non-lithium long-duration project rather than a battery.

• Construction began in July 2023 in Golmud, Haixi Prefecture. The developer estimates it can absorb about 600 MWh of surplus renewable power daily and supply about 180 GWh a year.
• The developer claims 100% localisation of major equipment.

• Investment amount and financing: Not publicly disclosed.

• The project was selected for China's national new-type storage demonstration programme and listed by the National Energy Administration among major first-of-a-kind equipment.

Sources: ESS News

EnergyAustralia's 50 MW/245 MWh five-hour Hallett battery receives final packs, targets mid-2027 operation

The last battery packs have arrived at EnergyAustralia's Hallett battery at Canowie, South Australia, a 50 MW/245 MWh five-hour system. Sited next to its Hallett gas plant, the project is expected to begin commercial operation in mid-2027.

• Located 210 km north of Adelaide; EnergyAustralia owns the battery, the adjoining gas plant and the land. Construction began in late February, two weeks after financial close.
• Approval exists to add a further 150 MW and more storage at the site.

• Financing amount and lenders: Not publicly disclosed. EnergyAustralia has a PPA with the Waterloo Wind Farm about 90 km to the south.

• The project has Crown Sponsorship and was declared critical infrastructure by South Australia's Department of Energy and Mining.

Sources: RenewEconomy

Frontier Energy signs up to A$280m project finance facility for Waroona solar-battery Stage 1 in Western Australia

Frontier Energy has signed a syndicated facility of up to A$280m for Stage 1 of its Waroona Renewable Energy Project, led by Natixis CIB and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation. Financial close is expected in November 2026 and first drawdown in Q1 2027.

• The project is planned at 132 MW of solar and an 81.5 MW battery; storage in MWh: Not publicly disclosed. It connects to the South West Interconnected System via the 330 kV Landwehr Terminal, about 500 m away.
• Executive Chairman Jamie Cullen said construction activities are ramping up.

• Project finance debt of up to A$280m; lenders led by Natixis CIB and SMBC. Margin and tenor: Not publicly disclosed.
• View: the CIS agreement remains the key condition before close, so final confirmation of the revenue underpin is the point to watch.

• Conditions before financial close include executing the federal Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS) agreement and arranging interest rate hedging.

Sources: ESS News / pv magazine Australia