Australia’s EnergyCo awards transmission licence for Central-West Orana REZ in New South Wales

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
EnergyCo is also seeking community input for the New England REZ. Image: EnergyCo.

Australia’s Energy Corporation of New South Wales (EnergyCo) has granted a transmission operator’s licence to the ACEREZ Partnership for the Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) transmission project.

The stae-owned company said yesterday (25 September) that ACEREZ, a consortium of Acciona Concesiones, Cobra, and Endeavour Energy, was selected by EnergyCo as the preferred network operator to deliver the Central-West Orana REZ transmission system following a rigorous competitive tender.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

The New South Wales minister for energy, Penny Sharpe, granted the license, allowing ACEREZ to design, construct, own, and operate the Central-West Orana REZ transmission system. This will connect renewable energy projects within the REZ to the existing load centres in Newcastle, Sydney, and Wollongong.

Central-West Orana REZ, which will be built on roughly 20,000 km2 near Dunedoo, Mudgee, and Dubbo, a rural area about 330km north-west of Sydney, will deliver at least 4.5GW of transmitted renewable electricity and potentially unlock an estimated  AUS$20 billion (US$13.5 billion) in private investment in solar PV, wind, and energy storage.

This REZ is also unique in that it is the first in the country to have transitioned into the delivery phase after receiving Commonwealth planning approval last month (8 August).

Interest in the New South Wales REZs continues to increase. The first tender for the South West REZ saw applicants from projects amounting to around 15GW of solar PV, wind, and energy storage. This was around four times the indicative target, set at 3.98GW.

 The South West REZ is to be located west of Wagga Wagga Wagga and will straddle the state’s border with Victoria. Since the launch of its original plan in 2018, its location and design have been slightly amended; it is now expected to take up more land and extend as far west as Buronga.

EnergyCo seeks community input for New England REZ

The New England REZ, also based in New South Wales, is seeking feedback from the community to help shape the future of the network infrastructure project.

Several community reference groups will be established, allowing local residents, community groups, First Nations representatives, and other stakeholders to provide feedback on the project.

The New England REZ is being developed in northern New South Wales. It aims to deliver 8GW of additional network capacity, supporting renewable energy generation technologies and energy storage.

EnergyCo said the New England REZ project is key to the transition to renewable energy across the region. It will provide new transmission lines and energy hubs needed to connect renewable generation projects in the REZ to the existing electricity network at Bayswater, near Muswellbrook.

James Hay, CEO of EnergyCo, believes the input from the community on the New England REZ will be “crucial” during the planning and delivery stages.

“It’s essential that we work closely with the community to understand their needs, protect local interests, and build trust as we move forward,” Hay added.

“The community reference groups will help us do that by bringing local knowledge and perspectives directly into our planning process. They’ll play a critical role in fostering open and regular communication between the project and community, helping us address challenges and maximise community benefits.”

New South Wales is on track to deliver five REZs, alongside New England, South West, and Central-West Orana, the others being the Hunter-Central Coast and Illawarra.

Read Next

June 10, 2025
Australia’s Queensland government has confirmed an AU$2.4 billion investment in the CopperString transmission project, aiming to extend the National Electricity Market (NEM) to the North West Minerals Province.
June 9, 2025
Sonnedix has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Renfe to supply 420GWh of renewable energy annually for its commercial operations.
June 9, 2025
Growing political headwinds threaten to dent US solar manufacturing and project deployment, despite a strong start to 2025.
June 6, 2025
rPlus Energies has secured more than US$500 million for an 800MW solar-plus-storage project in Emery County, Utah, US.  
June 6, 2025
Australia’s Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has called on Australia’s climate change and energy minister, Chris Bowen, to “urgently intervene” on a rule change that could threaten to derail the uptake of rooftop solar PV.
June 6, 2025
ElectraNet has revealed that renewables supplied 100% of South Australia's electricity demand for 27% of 2024, roughly 99 days.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
June 17, 2025
Napa, USA
Upcoming Webinars
June 30, 2025
10am PST / 6pm BST
Solar Media Events
July 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
July 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece