Muswellbrook to New England Renewable Energy Zone

EnergyCo is delivering the New England Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) network infrastructure project to provide a clean, affordable and reliable power supply for energy consumers across NSW.  

Delivery of the New England REZ involves: 

• Building renewable energy projects, such as solar farms, wind farms and battery energy storage systems
• Building transmission lines and energy hubs to connect these projects to electricity consumers. 

Both require significant volumes of oversize and over-mass (OSOM) equipment to be delivered to the Port of Newcastle and transported by road along designated routes to the New England REZ. 

The Port to REZ Program is essential for our transition to renewable energy. The Program will address the transport challenges of delivering OSOM renewable energy components, such as wind turbines, transformers, and other large pieces of electrical equipment, between the Port of Newcastle and key points within the New England REZ. Delivery of these components is essential to build renewable generation projects as well as the transmission infrastructure needed to connect them to the electricity network. 

EnergyCo is working with Transport for NSW to determine the most suitable, low-impact OSOM route to deliver energy components from the Port of Newcastle to the New England REZ. 

Upgrades to road intersections and pinch-points may be required to allow large components to be moved safely across the route to renewable energy projects.

Coordinating road upgrades to renewable energy zones will: 

• Enable delivery of large components essential to construct and operate renewable energy projects in the REZ
• Be carried out in a well-planned and holistic manner to optimise efficiency and coordination
• Improve pinch points and intersections along the Port to REZ route 

Coordinating OSOM deliveries will: 

• Reduce the impact on road users and communities
• Improve safety 

Building renewable energy projects and new transmission infrastructure require the movement of large components, which we refer to as oversize and over-mass. These tend to be: 

• Very long – such as wind turbine blades, which we need to ensure can get through intersections, around corners, and past utility poles and buildings
• Very tall – such as the base sections of wind turbine towers, which we need to ensure can get under bridges and overhead powerlines
• Very heavy – such as transformers, which we need to ensure can safely traverse bridges and culverts.

Transportation of large renewable energy components will increase progressively along the route as construction begins in a REZ. 

Construction of major solar, wind and storage projects with planned connections to the New England REZ network infrastructure project will start once projects are approved.  

There are also several renewable energy projects that are planned to be delivered ahead of the New England REZ, meaning OSOM movements for those projects would start earlier. At this stage, we expect those to start in mid 2028. 

We are working closely with renewable energy project developers to coordinate the volume and frequency of OSOM vehicle movements during construction. We will keep the community updated as planning progresses and further details are finalised. 

Coordinating the timing and frequency of OSOM deliveries is critical to minimising disruption for road users and communities. 

We are supporting Transport for NSW on an operational strategy which explains how this work will be coordinated and traffic impacts managed. This will consider local and regional road use. The strategy is being developed by Transport for NSW and will be shared with the community once the route is confirmed. 

Some strategies to minimise impacts on road users include building pullover bays, coordinating with schools and transport companies to understand local bus routes and delivering OSOM components at night where possible. 

Safety is an important consideration as we design the route. We are working closely with Transport for NSW and local councils to understand local road use and constraints in pinch point areas to minimise impacts on the road network. 

Some of the ways OSOM vehicle movement safety is managed includes: 

• Scheduling OSOM vehicle movements to take place outside of peak traffic periods
• Use of escort vehicles (driven by accredited escort drivers) or NSW Police to ensure deliveries are carried out safely, depending on size and mass of the load
• Speed restrictions for OSOM vehicles
• Pulling over to allow other vehicles to pass safely at intervals
• Installing signage. 

OSOM vehicle permits are managed by Transport for NSW and the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR). Transport for NSW and NHVR will notify communities and road users about OSOM vehicle movements along the Port to New England REZ route, including expected delivery volumes and times. 

There are a number of towns along the road network between Muswellbrook and the New England REZ. EnergyCo and Transport for NSW are carrying out investigations to determine the most suitable, low-impact freight route to accommodate OSOM vehicles. 

EnergyCo has been working closely with local councils to understand local road use and constraints in key areas around town centres to inform OSOM route design options. The route design will consider options that minimise traffic impacts to Muswellbrook, Tamworth, Uralla, Walcha and Armidale. 

Yes. Since early 2024, EnergyCo and Transport for NSW have been investigating the most suitable, low-impact OSOM route to unlock access from Muswellbrook to the New England REZ. 

The route will include sections of the New England Highway and Oxley Highway, as well as some local roads. 

Individual renewable energy project developers will plan and manage OSOM vehicle movements for their respective projects, including upgrading local roads and connections between the OSOM route and their project sites. The community will be invited to provide feedback as part of this process. 

Site investigations as part of the OSOM route planning will continue throughout 2025 and 2026. Subject to detailed design, planning and approvals, road upgrades are expected to start in 2026. 

Local communities and stakeholders will be notified ahead of work starting, including notification of expected work hours and temporary traffic changes, where applicable. We will make every effort to minimise impacts and disruption to landowners, local communities and motorists during this work. 

Yes. The proposed Port to REZ route will bypass the Tamworth CBD to minimise disruption to businesses, pedestrians and local traffic.

The proposed alignment follows Whitehouse Lane, Marsden Park Road, O’Brien’s Lane and Nundle Road before reconnecting to the New England Highway near Nemingha.

The route has been selected following technical investigations, environmental studies and consultation with Tamworth Regional Council.

Burgmanns Lane was considered as part of the route assessment process.

EnergyCo understands Burgmanns Lane forms part of Tamworth Regional Council’s planned freight connection between South Tamworth and Nemingha. However, it was assessed as unsuitable for the Port to REZ OSOM route due to:

• significant private property impacts
• the need to construct a new road and bridge connection through the flood plain to Marsden Park Road
• extensive environmental investigations and planning approvals
• longer delivery timeframes compared to the Whitehouse Lane route.

The Whitehouse Lane route can be delivered sooner and with fewer impacts, ensuring OSOM deliveries to the New England REZ avoid Tamworth’s CBD.

Investigations have been undertaken to assess whether the bridge over the Cockburn River at Nemingha can safely accommodate OSOM vehicle movements.

These assessments, along with property owner consultation and planning for the Nundle Road and New England Highway intersection, have informed the proposed route design.

If upgrades are required to support OSOM movements, they will be subject to detailed design, planning and approvals. The community will be notified ahead of any work commencing.