The Hunter Transmission Project - Network Operator contract includes the delivery, operation and maintenance of the Hunter Transmission Project, in partnership with EnergyCo’s preferred design and construction partner.
The Hunter Transmission Project will deliver a 100-kilometre, above-ground double circuit 500-kilovolt transmission line from Bayswater to Eraring in the Hunter region.
The HTP will close the northern loop between existing transmission lines:
- two 500 kV transmission lines in the east, which connect the power stations on the Central Coast (Eraring and Vales Point) via Eraring to the Kemps Creek substation in Western Sydney, and
- two 500 kV transmission lines in the west, which connect Bayswater Power Station in the Upper Hunter to Mt Piper Power Station near Lithgow, and Bannaby substation in the Southern Tablelands.
The Hunter Transmission Project's preliminary corridor is divided into three sections:
- HTP North – Bayswater to Broke. Most of the northern section of the preliminary corridor runs through the Hunter Valley Operations Mining Complex, industrial land and Department of Defence land.
- HTP Central – Pokolbin to Corrabare. Much of the central section of the preliminary corridor runs through the Pokolbin and Corrabare State forests.
- HTP South – Olney to Eraring. The southern section of the preliminary corridor runs mostly through the Olney State Forest and includes a substation in the forest.
The project includes delivery of two new substations at Bayswater and Olney and upgrades to the existing Bayswater and Eraring Substations.
Key Dates
| 2022 | Project Announcement |
| Jan 2025 | Contract Award |
Procurement
| Procuring Agency: | Energy Corporation of NSW (EnergyCo) |
| Successful Tenderer: | Transgrid |
PROJECT HISTORY
| Dec 2022 | The Federal and NSW Governments announced a $7.8 billion deal to support eight critical transmission and REZ projects, including Sydney Ring - Hunter Transmission Project. |
| Jun 2023 | Transgrid released its System Security Roadmap confirming that the expected delivery date for the project is 2028. Transgrid also confirmed the project was declared Critical State Significant Infrastructure (CSSI) and will progress as a Priority Transmission Infrastructure Project (PTIP) under the Electricity Infrastructure Investment Act 2020 (NSW). The Southern Sydney Ring network option may subsequently proceed, through the NSW, ISP or RIT‑T framework. |
| Aug 2023 | Transgrid released its Transmission Annual Planning Report 2023, indicating the length of the project is 110 kilometres. |
| Nov 2023 | The project's overview document is released, updating the expected length of the project to 115 km. |
| May 2024 | EnergyCo released a revised corridor for the HTP following public consultation. The revised corridor reduced the number of private landholders affected by the project from 78 to 25. |
| Dec 2024 | EnergyCo announced the shortlist for the design and construction contracts, including a transmission line package and a substation package of works for the design and construction of the project. |
| Jan 2025 | EnergyCo signed a commitment deed with Transgrid as its preferred network operator for the project. Transgrid’s appointment as preferred network operator remains subject to the signing of a final delivery contract with EnergyCo, as well as the award of the design and construct packages and project approvals. |
Sector
Energy
Procurement approach
Other |
Location
New South Wales |
Resources
