Energy hub moved to site of Origin wind project to avoid private landowners in New England REZ

One of four key energy hubs in the proposed New England renewable energy zone in northern NSW has been moved to the site of an Origin Energy wind project to lessen the impact on private landowners.

The “north” energy hub – one of four planned for what will likely be the biggest renewable energy zone in Australia – includes a substation and other infrastructure to collect electricity from nearby wind and solar farms and transfer it to the grid.

But that requires power lines, and EnergyCo – the state-owned agency charged with the development of the state’s five REZs – has struck a deal to relocate the sub station from privately owned farms to the nearby Warrane farm near Armidale that is owned by Origin Energy, the country’s biggest energy utility.

Origin bought Warrane, around 18kms north west of Armidale, in July, 2023, with the intention of hosting one of its planned wind projects, the Northern Tablelands wind farm.

EnergyCo says this will significantly reduce impacts to private landowners, and the Boorolong community, because it will means less construction on private properties, and ensure more power lines are located on land owned by renewable energy generators.

New England is likely to be the biggest REZ in the state, largely because of its excellent wind resources and strong solar resource, but the community appears divided over the idea, with local federal MP Barnaby Joyce and his wife leading a vocal campaign against wind and solar developments in the area.

The region has also witnessed some bitter battles over renewable energy developments, particularly the Hills of Gold wind project near Nundle, which remains the subject of a legal battle, and the dumping of Ark Energy’s Doughby wind project east of Armidale after several prospective landowners changed their mind.

The agreement with Origin could be something of a coup, given that it is hard to imagine its Northern Tablelands wind project not winning grid access rights, given that the property is to be built on will host the substation, and is close to existing transmission infrastructure.

Origin says the Northern Tablelands wind project could host more than 600 megawatts of wind capacity and a big battery sized at around 1,000 MWh.

“The move also marks the beginning of a long-term collaboration between EnergyCo and Origin to help deliver the New England REZ,” Energy Co said in a statement. “Origin is one of several developers EnergyCo is working with to ensure the new REZ network achieves its purpose of providing affordable, clean energy to the grid.”

Origin’s head of energy supply and operations Greg Jarvis said in a statement said collaboration between renewable energy proponents, EnergyCo, landowners and the local community is essential for the New England REZ.

“Origin is delighted to have worked successfully with these groups to identify a solution that will help reduce the impacts of electrical connection and transmission infrastructure on landowners and the local community,” Jarvis said.

“We will continue to work with EnergyCo, landowners and the local community on the delivery of both the north hub and the proposed Northern Tablelands Wind Farm.”

A scoping report for the New England REZ published last year by EnergyCo indicates the level of infrastructure that can be included in an energy hub, including transformers, towers, and potentially synchronous condensers and battery storage.

Julian Watson, the deputy project director for the New England REZ at EnergyCo, says the outcome is a great example of community-led feedback helping to design the project.

“We need to get the balance right by considering landowner and community feedback along with our technical and environmental expertise when designing a project of this size and scale,” he said. “We are proud to have achieved this outcome as a direct result of collaboration with community and key stakeholders.”

New England is expected to have a carrying capacity of more than 8 GW, potentially attracting $24 billion in investment, but is still in its early stages of development, although a tender has been called to build the infrastructure.

NSW energy minister Penny Sharpe last week described it as essential to the target of replacing the Vales Point and Bayswater coal fired power stations, which are due to retire in the early 2030s.

You can listen to Sharpe’s interview on Renew Economy’s Energy Insiders podcast here. You can also read a report on that interview: “In 2035 I’d like people to wonder what all the fuss was about:” Penny Sharpe on the transition from coal.

Details of the deal between EnergyCo and Origin, and the previous location of the north energy hub, were not revealed. Renew Economy has reached out to seek further information.