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1414 Degrees (ASX:14D) shares were trading +80% higher in Friday trades – up to 3.1 cents per share – after the electricity regulator AEMO greenlit the company’s proposed 140MW battery energy storage system (BESS, otherwise known as ‘big batteries’) in South Australia under national electricity rules.
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“[The company] is pleased to advise that the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) has confirmed acceptance of the Aurora 140 MW Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) proposed Generator Performance Standards,” as it complies with national electricity rules, 14D Degrees wrote on Friday.
“ElectraNet, the South Australian Transmission Network Service Provider, has also confirmed acceptance of the proposed Generator Performance Standards in accordance with [national electricity rules],” the company added.
1414 has been active in the energy sector for years now, more often than not trading week-by-week with a degree of quietness about it, despite at one point in the early COVID-19 years being a hotly watched potential disruptor.
Long story short, 1414 was an early mover in the BESS space, and its somewhat unconventional approach – looking at thermal energy storage using things like molten salts – has long seen it raise eyebrows. As of early CY26 thus far, the stock’s a nanocap with a market cap of less than $10 million.
That could be about to change, however, with AEMO confirming its BESS battery design can harmonise with Australian standards, which is more or less equivalent to an approval of its Aurora Battery Project in South Australia. Except for now, the company’s just building out a traditional BESS alongside Vast sans 14D’s thermal storage tech.
“This milestone represents a critical regulatory step forward and allows the Aurora Precinct to move toward commencement in 2026. In addition to revenue from the BESS, it supports broader development opportunities, including data centre potential previously outlined by the Company,” 14D chairman Dr Kevin Moriarty said.
The Aurora project, a 50/50 JV between 14D and a private entity called Vast, is underpinned by projections of “strong cash flow” that would come to the company when it connects its 140MW battery to the National Electricity Market (NEM) via a 275kV transmission line. The project shares its name with a larger Aurora Renewable Energy Precinct.
That BESS build would effectively establish a renewables park in South Australia’s Upper Spencer Gulf region; should that renewables park become commercial, then 1414 Degrees would be looking to build out further solar PV assets; a ‘concentrated solar power’ system using Vast’s in-house tech, and finally, a potential pilot-scale buildout of 14D’s ‘SiBox’ thermal storage product.
14D last traded at 3.1cps.
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