The South West Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) is celebrating a milestone, with EnergyCo granting four projects the right to connect to powerlines in the area.
The wind, solar and large-scale battery projects have a combined generation capacity of 3.56GW – enough to power more than 1.6 million homes a year.
The New South Wales Government said these landmark projects will help keep the lights on in the state and deliver long-term benefits for local workers, communities and electricity consumers.
The announcement follows a competitive access rights tender process by AEMO Services Limited.
The State Government said the strong level of interest and competition between developers is a testament to the high quality of the renewable energy resources in the South West REZ.
The granting of access rights provides more certainty to communities in the south west of New South Wales about the renewable energy projects that will be developed in the region over coming years.
The access fees paid by these projects is expected to fund community benefits programs that will deliver legacy benefits informed by community priorities.
The projects are Origin Energy’s Yanco Delta wind farm, Spark Renewables’ Dinawan Energy Hub, Someva and AGL’s Pottinger Energy Park and BayWA’s Bullawah Wind Farm.
The projects include more than 700MW of battery storage, capable of powering up to 300,000 households during peak demand.
The New South Wales Government said the announcement marks a key milestone in its plan to unlock reliable renewable energy for homes and businesses and put downward pressure on prices.
The REZ is expected to create more than 2800 jobs at the height of construction., including opportunities for around 265 apprentices, reflecting a strong commitment to skills development and training.
New South Wales Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Penny Sharpe, said the South West REZ is expected to drive more than $17 billion in private investment in solar, wind and energy storage projects.
“This landmark tender shows the high interest in investing in New South Wales.
“These projects will help ensure the state has enough renewable energy generation and storage when coal-fired power stations retire.
“They also give certainty to host-communities, who will directly benefit from the fees paid by these companies to connect to the REZ.”
EnergyCo Chief Executive, Hannah McCaughey, said, “We had strong interest from industry in the South West REZ access rights tender. The access scheme will also ensure we make the best use of new power lines, to put downward pressure on energy bills for everyone in New South Wales.
“The first projects are expected to come online from 2027 to 2030, which will help keep the lights on and secure our energy future.”
Origin CEO, Frank Calabria, said securing transmission access rights is another important milestone for the Yanco Delta Wind Farm development project and recognises the important role it can play in delivering renewable energy supply to help meet the demand of households and businesses in New South Wales.
“This represents another major step in Origin’s commitment to add 4–5GW of renewables and storage to its portfolio, alongside around $1.7 billion being invested in large scale battery storage projects currently under construction.
“We look forward to continuing to work closely with our host landowners and local stakeholders to develop and construct Yanco Delta Wind Farm in a way that minimises impacts and ensures the region gets to share in the benefits that will flow from a project of this scale.”
Someva Renewables Managing Director, Jamie Chivers, said the announcement marks an important step forward for the Pottinger Energy Park, which is expected to provide a major boost to the Riverina’s economy and make a lasting contribution to the state’s renewable energy ambitions.
“We’re proud to be working with our joint venture partner AGL to ensure this project delivers direct benefits to local landholders, to local businesses and the entire Riverina region, while playing an important role in New South Wales’ energy transition,” Mr Chivers said.
“We’re also proud to be working closely with local landholders, Hay Shire Council, Edward River Council, First Nations groups, community groups and the local community to deliver this critical project.”
AGL General Manager, Power Development, Travis Hughes, said the Pottinger Energy Park forms part of AGL’s ambition to add 12GW of new renewable generation and firming by the end of 2035.
“Following our engagement with the local community, including First Nations Groups, the project has strong support and is set to deliver a major boost to the Riverina economy.”
