Renewable Energy Careers Day showcases opportunities for the next generation in the South West

Students in the South West Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) are learning more about current and future career opportunities in the energy sector, through a series of educational initiatives delivered by EnergyCo. 

The Renewable Energy Careers Day was held in Hay on Tuesday 10 March, followed by another session in Deniliquin on (11 March).

The Careers Day, delivered in partnership with the NSW Department of Education’s Regional Industry Education Partnerships (RIEP), is part of EnergyCo’s commitment to building strong, informed and resilient communities. 

The program features a number of hands-on workshops led by renewable energy teams from Transgrid, Elecnor, BayWa R.E, Origin Energy, Spark Renewables, Someva-AGL and EnergyCo. The sessions give school students information about the technologies, innovation and infrastructure that is shaping the energy transformation across Australia.

Students in Years 9 and 10 from several local schools are participating in the sessions including Balranald Central School, Tooleybuc Central School, Hay War Memorial High School, Deniliquin High School, Finley High School and Barham High School.

EnergyCo is planning further careers initiatives across the South West Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) throughout 2026.

The South West REZ is forecast to support an average of about 1,690 direct jobs per year in the local area during construction, with hundreds of ongoing operational jobs from 2031. It will also create additional demand for workers in local manufacturing, retail, transport and the supply of goods and services.

Quote attributable to South West REZ Project Director Michael Oppermann

“EnergyCo is committed to creating opportunities for the next generation as we secure Australia’s energy future. 

The Renewable Energy Careers Day workshops are about giving students a first-hand experience of the careers that are making this happen, helping them to envision themselves as the engineers, technicians and innovators of tomorrow.”

About the SW REZ:

The REZ, which is expected to attract more than $17.8 billion of private investment, will initially unlock 3.56 gigawatts of clean energy generation capacity within the next decade. It will be capable of powering up to 1.6 million homes.  

The REZ stretches from Dinawan Substation in the east to Buronga Substation in the west and will include:

• 4 renewable energy projects, including wind, solar and battery storage infrastructure that will connect to new network infrastructure
• 2 new transmission lines - Project EnergyConnect (under construction) and Victoria NSW Interconnector West (VNI West) (under development).