Australia’s federal government has cancelled the procurement of an administrator for its National Solar Panel Recycling Pilot, closing the process on 10 November without awarding a contract. The decision came on the same day that a six-month suspension of the tender was lifted.
The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water cited undisclosed changes in the industry since the tender was released in April 2026. The government says it is now considering next steps for procuring an administrator.
The procurement had been suspended in May 2026 after a complaint about the settings and rules of the process, which triggered an investigation. The original timetable would have seen a contract begin in May 2026 and run to June 2027, with an option to extend.
Valued at AUD 24.7 million ($16.9 million), the pilot was designed to engage a supplier to arrange, manage and report on the scheme. That included collecting up to 250,000 decommissioned panels from about 100 sites nationwide and ensuring they were aggregated, transported and recycled safely.
The volume at stake is rising quickly. The government estimates that 3 million panels reached end of life in 2025, and that the figure could climb to 50 million by 2035 as early rooftop and utility-scale installations are retired.
✦ This article was adapted by AI from public news sources for informational purposes only. It does not constitute investment advice.
