The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) administers and operates the Wholesale Electricity Market(WEM) in the South West Interconnected System (SWIS).

AEMO formally announces the commencement of the Request for Expressions of Interest (REOI) for the 2024 Reserve Capacity Cycle. AEMO seeks Expressions of Interest (EOI) for the provision of new Energy Producing System and Demand Side Programme (DSP) capacity in the SWIS for the 2026-27 Capacity Year.

Proponents may submit an EOI in advance of applying for Certified Reserve Capacity (CRC) for the 2026-27 Capacity Year.

The purpose of this REOI process is to notify AEMO of the amount of new Energy Producing System and DSP capacity that a proponent intends to make available as Peak Capacity in the 2026-27 Capacity Year. New capacity includes upgrades to existing Facilities and new Facilities.

Proponents are not required to submit an EOI to be eligible to apply for CRC. For proponents that submit an EOI, AEMO will assess the EOI and assign an indicative Facility Class for CRC application purposes prior to the opening of the CRC window. Proponents that do not submit an EOI must apply for an Indicative Facility Class assessment prior to applying for CRC.

EOI submissions must be:

• made using the 2024 EOI Application Form (attached) and must include all supporting documentation.

• submitted to AEMO by 5:00 pm (Australian Western Standard Time), 1 March 2023.

It is important to note that the submission of a valid EOI and its timing will affect the Facility's priority order when assigning the Network Access Quantity (NAQ) in instances where there is a tie-break in the NAQ calculation process.