New England REZ April project update
Our latest project update includes information on our planning to deliver large renewable energy components to the REZ, opportunities to get involved in our social impact assessment, our latest community engagement activities and more. Read the April project update here
About the network infrastructure project
The New England Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) will be serviced by new network infrastructure, including transmission lines, energy hubs and enabling infrastructure which will transfer power generated by solar, wind and storage projects to electricity consumers. This infrastructure will be critical for the successful operation of the REZ. EnergyCo is leading the development of the REZ transmission network infrastructure as the Infrastructure Planner for the REZs in NSW.
Some of this infrastructure will need to be built outside the New England REZ geographical area to connect the REZ to the main backbone transmission network. EnergyCo is in the early stages of assessing what new network infrastructure should be built to unlock and service the New England REZ.
Transporting energy equipment
EnergyCo and Transport for NSW are working together to investigate upgrades to road intersections and pinch-points to allow large components to be moved safely across the road network to renewable energy projects.
Delivering the New England REZ involves building:
- renewable energy projects, such as solar farms, wind farms and battery energy storage systems
- transmission lines and energy hubs to connect these projects to electricity consumers.
This requires the transportation of large components such as wind turbine blades and electrical transformers using oversize and over-mass (OSOM) vehicles.
As the infrastructure planner, EnergyCo is planning the delivery of road upgrades in collaboration with Transport for NSW to enable OSOM deliveries to take place safely and with minimal disruption for communities and road users.
Route planning
An OSOM route from the Port of Newcastle to Muswellbrook will operate as a common route for New England and Central-West Orana renewable energy projects.
OSOM vehicles travelling to the New England REZ will detour Muswellbrook and rejoin the New England Highway before continuing north towards the New England REZ.
We are working closely with local councils, Transport for NSW and landowners as we develop the concept design for the route.
Coordinating the timing and frequency of OSOM deliveries is critical to minimising disruption for road users and communities. We are working with renewable energy project developers to manage traffic for OSOM vehicle movements during construction.
View the fact sheet here for more information.
Network operator update
EnergyCo has called for registrations of interest, for parties interested in bidding to become the network operator for New England REZ.
This is the first step of the competitive tender process, which will help us select a small number of parties to take through to the formal tendering stage. The formal tendering stage, also referred to as the Request for Proposal stage, is expected to commence later in 2025.
The successful network operator will partner with EnergyCo and will design, construct, finance, operate and maintain the new transmission lines and energy hubs that will connect renewable projects in the New England REZ to electricity consumers.
The network operator will play a key role in the success of the New England REZ and will be expected to have early and positive engagement with communities, First Nations people, local councils, landowners and other stakeholder groups, including earning trust and establishing long-term relationships.
We are starting the tender process now to ensure we can deliver New England REZ in time to meet the NSW Government’s energy targets.
This process has been designed to continue in parallel to our ongoing work with landowners and the community, as well as our environmental investigations, as we continue to refine the REZ network infrastructure project. Read the media release.
See what the transmission lines will look like from Woolomin
As part of our work to assess potential visual impacts, we have developed a visualisation from two vantage points in Woolomin township to help the community see what the transmission network will look like from this area. Two visualisations are available to view below including a realistic view which includes trees and vegetation that are present in the current landscape and a second view without vegetation to show where the lines are proposed without the view being impacted by trees.
These visualisations are accurate as at November 2024, noting there is ongoing refinement to the south of Woolomin including in the Chaffey Dam area in response to community feedback.
We will be adding to these over time with areas of community significance and key public viewpoints valued by the community.
Next steps
The New England REZ network infrastructure project has been declared a critical state significant infrastructure (CSSI) project by the NSW Minister for Planning and Public Spaces as it considered ‘essential for the State for economic, environmental or social reasons’.
Under the NSW Environment Planning and Assessment ACT 1979, CSSI applications must be approved by the NSW Minister for Planning and Public Spaces following a comprehensive assessment process. The includes extensive community consultation and the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
EnergyCo is committed to long-term ongoing engagement with the community as we develop the New England REZ.
Work to develop the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the REZ network infrastructure project will continue throughout 2024 and 2025. During this time, we will continue carrying out field investigations and consultation with landowners and communities to refine the transmission corridor and assess its impacts.
We expect to lodge the EIS with the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure for public exhibition and assessment in late 2025. During the EIS exhibition period, communities and stakeholders will be able to make formal submissions on the merits of the project. All submissions will be considered and responded to in a submission report.
If you have any questions about the New England REZ or would like to provide feedback, please contact us at any time:
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 1800 061 114 (9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday)