Have your say on draft Guidelines for Access Scheme Declarations

The Minister for Energy is seeking submissions on the draft update to the Guidelines for Access Scheme Declarations.

Public submissions are invited from Monday 2 March to Sunday 29 March 2026.

Learn more and have your say

Update on the New England Renewable Energy Zone Access Scheme – March 2026

EnergyCo would like to thank all stakeholders who provided feedback on the New England Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) Generation and Storage Consultation Paper (Consultation Paper). We appreciate the considerable time and effort stakeholders put in to inform the design of a potential New England REZ Access Scheme.  

We are proposing changes to some of the design features outlined in the Consultation Paper based on stakeholder feedback to better reflect the needs of industry and the community.

A key focus has been the proposed approach to transitional arrangements. Multiple stakeholders raised concerns around the potential for project delay risks under the options presented in the Consultation Paper. EnergyCo has amended the design of transitional arrangements to reduce delay risks for well progressed generation and storage projects.  

EnergyCo has revised Access Scheme timelines due to the various design changes undertaken. We anticipate:

  • the Draft New England REZ Access Scheme Declaration (Draft Declaration) will be released for public consultation by end June 2026;
  • the New England REZ Access Scheme Declaration would be formally declared by the Minister for Energy by end September 2026, subject to the Minister’s final consideration.

Next steps

EnergyCo will directly consult with key stakeholders on the draft changes to design features in April and May 2026, including on transitional arrangements. We will seek feedback so we can refine approaches prior to the release of the Draft Declaration. We will contact stakeholders in the coming weeks with proposed meeting dates and times.  

The Draft Declaration will be exhibited for a minimum of 28 days, allowing stakeholders adequate time to review and provide feedback.

EnergyCo will hold a public webinar during the public consultation period to provide stakeholders with an overview of design approaches and provide an opportunity to participate in a Q&A session. Further details about the webinar will be provided when the Draft Declaration is released.  

If you have any questions, please send an email to: [email protected]  

Previous consultation

Indicative technical requirements for generation and storage connections discussion paper

EnergyCo has published a discussion paper outlining our indicative technical requirements for generation and storage projects seeking to connect to the New England Renewable Energy Zone (REZ).

Download the discussion paper

Why we’ve released this paper

The New England REZ will bring together new solar, wind and storage projects, supported by new transmission infrastructure. To ensure the REZ operates safely, reliably and efficiently, We're developing a set of REZ access standards – technical requirements that generator and storage projects may need to meet when connecting to REZ network infrastructure.

While access standards will not be consulted on until later in 2026, we're providing early guidance now so industry proponents can plan ahead. The discussion paper outlines our indicative position on a range of technical requirements, including areas where they may differ from the standards normally applied under the National Electricity Rules.

What the paper covers

The discussion paper provides:

  • EnergyCo’s early views on a subset of technical requirements for solar, wind and battery projects
  • information on where we are proposing to apply minimum or automatic access standards
  • areas where requirements may differ based on the unique characteristics of the New England REZ
  • details on which requirements still need further power system studies before they can be defined
  • next steps on how access standards for New England REZ will be developed.  

These indicative requirements are not final and will continue to evolve as REZ planning progresses.

Who we want to hear from

We welcome feedback from:

  • renewable energy generation and storage proponents
  • network operators and technical specialists
  • stakeholders participating in the New England REZ procurement process.

Your feedback will help refine the approach and support the development of draft REZ access standards in 2026.

Feedback

Feedback is open until 6 February 2026 and can be emailed to [email protected]  

Generation and storage consultation paper

In August 2025, EnergyCo published the New England Renewable Energy Zone Generation and Storage Consultation Paper, outlining proposed design features under consideration for a potential access scheme, a connection assets model and the provision of system strength for the New England REZ.

We are currently reviewing submissions to inform the next stages of detailed design, shaping how we approach generation and storage for the New England REZ.

Webinar

We hosted a public webinar on 26 August 2025 to provide stakeholders with an overview of the paper and key design questions, and provide an opportunity to participate in a Q&A.

Watch the recording

Documents

Consultation paper and related documents

Fact sheets

More information

New England Renewable Energy Zone
New England REZ network infrastructure project
Access schemes