Construction has officially commenced on a network upgrade in Australia’s New South Wales Upper Hunter region, which is set to boost transfer capacity by at least 1GW by 2028, in support of the state’s renewable energy transition.
Works have begun on the estimated AU$590 million (US$413 million) Hunter-Central Coast Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) network infrastructure project, which will enable an additional 1.8GW of new renewable energy generation and storage projects to connect to the New South Wales grid.
Construction was marked by a visit from the New South Wales Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Penny Sharpe, who visited the Kurri Kurri site to mark the commencement of works.
The Hunter-Central Coast REZ will create 590 jobs during construction and provide 220 secure local positions once operational. EnergyCo chief executive Hannah McCaughey emphasised that 90% of the ongoing jobs are expected to be filled by locals, reinforcing the project’s commitment to regional employment.
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The project includes upgrades to approximately 85km of existing sub-transmission lines and upgrades to existing substations, including the one at Kurri Kurri. Two new 132kV substations will be built in the Muswellbrook local government area at Sandy Creek and Antiene as part of the programme.
The upgrade has an intended network capacity of 1GW and will allow for 1.8GW of new renewable generation and storage projects to connect to the grid.
Electricity distributor Ausgrid has partnered with state body EnergyCo to deliver the Hunter-Central Coast REZ upgrades and will build, finance, operate and maintain the REZ network infrastructure.
The Hunter-Central Coast REZ has attracted substantial commercial interest since its inception.
In February 2022, New South Wales received 40GW of applications for the new renewable energy zone, representing a US$72 billion investment.
The registration of interest process attracted 24 solar energy projects, 35 large-scale battery energy storage systems, eight pumped hydro projects and 20 wind farms, demonstrating the region’s appeal to renewable energy developers.
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