The Contact Energy Ltd (ASX: CEN) share price is in focus today as the company released its September 2026 Monthly Operating Report, revealing mass market electricity and gas sales rose to 484 GWh, up from 372 GWh a year ago, while the wholesale business saw total net revenue per MWh decline compared to last year.
What did Contact Energy report?
- Mass market electricity and gas sales were 484 GWh (September 2025: 372 GWh)
- Mass market netback was $145.99/MWh (September 2025: $150.12/MWh)
- Wholesale contracted electricity sales were 978 GWh (September 2025: 986 GWh)
- Electricity and steam net revenue was $147.46/MWh (September 2025: $162.48/MWh)
- Electricity generated or acquired for the month was 1,069 GWh (September 2025: 1,106 GWh)
- Unit generation cost (including acquired generation) fell to $37.83/MWh (September 2025: $48.79/MWh)
What else do investors need to know?
Contact Energy is progressing major renewable projects, with the Te Mihi Stage 2 geothermal plant expected online in Q3 of calendar 2027 at a project cost of $712 million, and the Glenbrook-Ohurua Battery 2 and Glorit Solar projects following in 2028. The company’s contracted gas volume for the next 12 months is 8.5 petajoules, while hydro storage levels in the South Island remain well above historical averages at 135% of mean.
New Zealand’s national electricity demand for September 2026 was down 0.5% against last year, despite the average temperature being higher than usual. Contact Energy saw growth in customer numbers and continued its strong focus on sustainability, reporting a drop in greenhouse gas emissions intensity.
What’s next for Contact Energy?
Contact Energy is actively building out its renewable generation capacity, with three large projects under way to support New Zealand’s low-carbon future. The company’s focus remains on maintaining reliable supply, managing costs, and progressing its environmental initiatives while meeting community and customer needs.
The ongoing investment in geothermal, battery, and solar capacity is expected to underpin future earnings growth. Contact Energy will keep monitoring market conditions and energy demand as it delivers on its development pipeline.
Contact Energy share price snapshot
Over the past 12 months, Contact Energy shares have declined 16%, trailing the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO), which has declined 3% over the same period.
The post Contact Energy: September 2026 monthly operating results appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.
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Motley Fool contributor Laura Stewart has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips. This article was prepared with the assistance of Large Language Model (LLM) tools for the initial summary of the company announcement. Any content assisted by AI is subject to our robust human-in-the-loop quality control framework, involving thorough review, substantial editing, and fact-checking by our experienced writers and editors holding appropriate credentials. The Motley Fool Australia stands behind the work of our editorial team and takes ultimate responsibility for the content published by The Motley Fool Australia.