NSW grants grid access to giant wind, solar, and battery facilities
Ten renewable energy and storage projects, totaling more than 7 GW of capacity, have been given the green light to connect to the Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) in NSW.
The landmark auction was designed to help replace the state’s retiring coal assets.
The projects have been given “access rights” to the coveted REZ. The winners comprise three wind farms, three solar projects with battery facilities, and one hybrid solar and battery project.
The REZ – based around Dubbo and Dunedoo – is the first of at least five planned by the NSW government to replace the state’s ageing coal fired generators, three of which will close in less than a decade.
When combined with the recently announced South West REZ grid tender, more than 10GW of renewable energy and storage is being added to the NSW grid, enough to power more than 4.3 million homes.
Solar hybrids are a new addition to the Australian grid, with the biggest built so far at Cunderdin in Western Australia.
Other battery projects, even those co-located with wind and solar farms such as Birriwa, Cobbora and Sandy Creek, operate as separate entities.
The CWO REZ will be built by a consortium made up of Acciona, Cobra, and Endeavour Energy after a tender was held to attract the most competitive bid.
The REZ process has not been met with universal acclaim, with some local communities upset that they will have to support the bulk of new development.