New South Wales Greenlights Over 7 GW RE Capacity

EnergyCo, the New South Wales (NSW) authority for the delivery of renewable energy zones (REZ), has approved access rights for 10 renewable energy and energy storage projects in the Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) that represent a combined 7.15 GW capacity.  

This approval will bring large-scale solar, wind and energy storage projects to the incoming transmission line in the REZ.  

These projects include ACEN’s 600 MW Birriwa Solar, Lightsource bp’s 700 MW Sandy Creek Solar, Pacific Partnerships’ 700 MW Cobbora Solar, and Potential Energy’s 500 MW Tallawang Solar Hybrid projects. A detailed list of projects is as follows:  

• ACEN’s 919 MW Valley of the Winds Farm 

• ACEN’s 600 MW Birriwa Solar Project 

• ACEN’s 600 MW Birriwa Battery Energy Storage System 

• Lightsource bp’s 700 MW Sandy Creek Solar Farm 

• Lightsource bp’s 700 MW Sandy Creek Battery Energy Storage System 

• Pacific Partnerships’ 700 MW Cobbora Solar Facility 

• Pacific Partnerships’ 400 MW Cobbora Battery Energy Storage System  

• Potentia Energy’s 500 MW Tallawang Solar Hybrid (solar and battery facility) 

• Squadron Energy’s 700 MW Spicers Creek Wind Farm 

• Tilt Renewables’ 1.332 GW Liverpool Range Wind Farm (stages 1 and 2).  

Of these, Liverpool Range Wind Farm, Birriwa Solar and BESS, and Spicers Creek Wind Farm have secured planning approvals. The remaining projects are subject to planning approval processes, including ongoing community consultation. Together, these projects will power 2.7 million homes by 2031 in peak periods, said EnergyCo.  

“Granting access rights to these renewable energy projects will almost double NSW’s current operating large-scale wind and solar generation,” added EnergyCo CEO Hannah McCaughey.   

Central-West REZ covers 240 km, which taking in 0.04% of the total agricultural land. It will cover Dubbo, Dunedoo, Gulgong, Mudgee, Wellington, and Gilgandra, among other towns. Only projects with access rights awarded by EnergyCo can connect to the REZ network infrastructure. 

Along with wind, solar and storage projects cleared for the South West REZ, the above-listed projects will represent a combined capacity of more than 10 GW of renewable energy and storage projects that will be connected to the NSW grid (see Australia’s NSW Grants Grid Access To Over 3.56 GW RE).   

The 5 REZs in NSW are being developed as part of the state’s 20-year Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap that aims to support at least 12 GW of renewable energy and 2 GW of storage by 2030, while replacing retiring coal-fired power stations with clean, affordable and reliable energy by 2040 (see NSW: AUD 32 Billion Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap).