AUSTRALIA'S RENEWABLES 40 GW, AUD 100 BLN

RENEWABLES NOW - February 16  - The registration of interest in relation to the planned Hunter-Central Coast Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) in the Australian state of New South Wales has attracted proposals for nearly 40 GW of projects, including seven offshore wind schemes. 

The state government announced this on Wednesday, saying that the lodged offers represent over AUD 100 billion (USD 71.7bn/EUR 63bn) of potential investment in 24 solar parks, 13 onshore and seven offshore wind farms, 35 large-scale batteries and eight pumped hydro plants. It is estimated that these projects have the potential to deliver more than 100,000 GWh of total electricity per year.

The Energy Corporation of NSW, also referred to as EnergyCo, is in the early stages of planning the Hunter-Central Coast REZ. It will use this information when setting the timing, capacity and boundaries of the zone.

The Hunter-Central Coast REZ is expected to formally be declared under the state government’s Electricity Roadmap legislation by mid-2022.

“The Hunter-Central Coast region is the perfect location for a new REZ as it has good renewable energy resources, access to transmission, transport and port infrastructure, and most importantly, a highly skilled workforce,” said Dave Layzell, Member for Upper Hunter.

(AUD 1.0 = USD 0.717/EUR 0.631)

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