About the Roadmap
The Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap (the Roadmap) is the NSW Government’s plan to transform our electricity sector into one that is cheap, clean, and reliable. It sets out a coordinated way forward to achieving a capacity target of at least 12 gigawatts of renewable energy generation, and two gigawatts of long-duration storage by 2030.
The Roadmap is enabled by the Electricity Infrastructure Investment Act 2020 (the Act), which passed into law with cross-party support in December 2020.
The Roadmap is expected to:
- Attract up to $32 billion in private investment for regional energy infrastructure by 2030.
- Support 6,300 construction jobs and 2,800 ongoing jobs, mostly in regional NSW.
- Reduce NSW electricity emissions by 90 million tonnes by 2030.
Under the Roadmap, heavy industry electricity prices in NSW are indicatively expected to be in the lowest 10 per cent of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) by 2030.
Taking action now to implement the Roadmap is critical. It took 30 years to plan and build the existing fleet of coal-fired generation plants in NSW. We need to replace four out of five of these plants within the next 12 years.
The NSW economy and communities must also be positioned to capture the huge opportunities arising from the global growth in low-carbon industries.
Modernising our electricity system now is key to setting our economy up to be even more globally competitive and growing the sustainable prosperity of our communities over the coming decades.
Learn more about the Roadmap here.
Organisations delivering the Roadmap
EnergyCo is one of several key entities appointed by the NSW Government to deliver the Roadmap, alongside the Consumer Trustee, the Regulator, the Electricity Infrastructure Jobs Advocate, the Energy Security Target Monitor and the Renewable Energy Sector Board.
We will work closely with these entities and other key organisations to help deliver the Roadmap.
The Consumer Trustee
The Consumer Trustee is the independent decision-maker in the design and implementation of Long-Term Energy Service Agreements. In doing so it is required to be the custodian of the long-term financial interests of NSW energy consumers. The Consumer Trustee is appointed by the Minister under the Act. In 2021, the Minister appointed AEMO Services, a subsidiary of the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), as the Consumer Trustee.
We work closely with the Consumer Trustee to ensure the long-term financial interests of NSW electricity customers by improving the affordability, reliability, security, and sustainability of electricity supply.
The Consumer Trustee also has additional functions under the Act. Learn more about the Consumer Trustee here.
The Regulator
The NSW Government has appointed the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) as a regulator under the NSW Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap.
The key functions the AER has been appointed to carry out under the Act include:
- making five-year revenue determinations for network infrastructure projects authorised by the Consumer Trustee, including the calculation of the prudent, efficient and reasonable capital costs of these projects
- making annual contribution determinations regarding the Electricity Infrastructure Fund
- approving a risk management framework developed by the Consumer Trustee
- reviewing tender rules of Long-Term Energy Service Agreements.
The Renewable Energy Sector Board
The Minister for Energy has appointed the Renewable Energy Sector Board co-chairs and members, and the NSW Government has made regulations on the Board’s functions and procedures.
The Board has developed a plan for the renewable energy sector, including detail on how to maximise the employment of local workers and foster training and apprenticeship opportunities. The Consumer Trustee will use the Board’s plan when granting authorisations for projects to operate in each REZ, resulting in coordinated job and supply-chain opportunities for businesses in those areas. EnergyCo will consider the Board’s plan in its tenders for major network infrastructure projects for the Renewable Energy Zones and the Waratah Super Battery. Learn more here.
Electricity Infrastructure Jobs Advocate
An Electricity Infrastructure Jobs Advocate (Jobs Advocate) is appointed by the Minister for Energy to provide expert advice on how to maximise opportunities for local workers and export infrastructure during the implementation of the Roadmap. We will work with the Jobs Advocate on strategies and incentives to encourage investment, workforce development, employment, education and training in the energy sector in the Central-West Orana, New England, South West, Hunter-Central Coast and Illawarra regions.
Other key organisations
Australian Energy Market Operator
We work closely with the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), and a range of network planners, to ensure the new REZ network infrastructure projects are constructed in the right way and minimise impacts to local communities.
To learn more about the role of AEMO in delivering the Roadmap, please consult the Act.
Transgrid
We work closely with Transgrid, the NSW Transmission Network Service Provider. As the jurisdictional planner and manager for transmission in NSW, Transgrid will continue to support EnergyCo in the delivery of the REZ program, including through supporting upgrades to its existing network.
Distributed Network Service Providers
We will work closely with the NSW Distribution Network Service Providers (DNSPs) - Ausgrid, Essential Energy and Endeavour Energy - in each REZ on strategies to deliver energy benefits to communities that host electricity infrastructure.
