EnergyConnect is a proposed new 900-kilometre electricity interconnector (transmission line), which will run from Wagga Wagga in NSW to Robertstown in SA, with a connection to Red Cliffs in Victoria.
The transmission line will comprise approximately 206 kilometres of new transmission infrastructure in SA and 700 kilometres in NSW. Electranet is responsible for the delivery of the project in SA. Transgrid is responsible for the delivery of the project in NSW.
It is being delivered in two stages.
Stage One (release of 150 MW transfer capacity) runs from Robertson in SA to Buronga in NSW. The full scope includes:
- a new Robertstown to Bundey 275 kV double-circuit line.
- a new Bundey to Buronga 330 kV double-circuit line strung one circuit initially.
- a new 330/275 kV substation and 3x400 MVA 330/275 kV transformers at Bundey
- a new 330/220 kV substation, 1x200 MVA 330/220 kV transformer and 1x200 MVA 330 kV phase shifting transformer at Buronga
- a static and dynamic reactive plant at Bundey and Buronga, and
- an inter-trip protection scheme to trip the PEC interconnector if South Australia becomes separated from Victoria via the Heywood Interconnector.
Stage Two (release of 800 MW transfer capacity) runs from Buronga to Wagga Wagga, and Buronga to Red Cliffs (the border of Victoria). The full scope includes:
- a second 330 kV circuit strung on the Bundey–Buronga 330 kV doublecircuit line.
- a new Buronga to Red Cliffs 220 kV double-circuit line
- a new 330 kV double-circuit line from Buronga to Dinawan
- a new 500 kV double-circuit line from Dinawan to Wagga Wagga operating at 330 kV
- a new 330 kV switching station at Dinawan
- additional 4x200 MVA 330 kV phase shifting transformers at Buronga
- additional 2x200 MVA 330/220 kV transformers at Buronga
- turning the existing 275 kV line between Para and Robertstown into Tungkillo
- static or dynamic reactive plant at Bundey, Robertstown, Buronga and Dinawan, and
- a special protection scheme to detect and manage the loss of either of the AC interconnectors connecting to South Australia.
Within the NSW section, Transgrid has divided the project into two sections: Eastern and Western.
The Eastern alignment is the section from Buronga to Wagga Wagga (540 kilometres). The Western section is from Chowilla on the SA/NSW border to Buronga in NSW and from Buronga to Monak at the NSW/Victorian border.
Key Dates
| Feb 2020 | RFT Open: NSW Section |
| Oct 2020 | Contract Awarded: NSW Section |
| Oct 2021 | Contract Awarded: SA Section |
| Feb 2022 | Construction Commencement: SA Section |
| Jul 2022 | Construction Commencement: NSW - Western Section |
| Sep 2023 | Construction Commencement: NSW Eastern Alignment |
| Dec 2023 | Completion of SA section: Stage One |
| Sep 2024 | Expected Operations Commencement: Stage One |
| Dec 2024 | Expected Construction Completion: Stage One |
| May 2026 | Expected Operations Commencement: Stage Two |
| Jul 2027 | Expected Construction Completion: Stage Two |
Funding contributions
| Federal Government | |
| SA Government | |
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$100 million in joint underwriting support from the Federal and SA Governments will be provided for early works on a 50/50 basis. |
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Financing
| Equity Finance: | TransGrid |
| Debt Finance: | SA Government |
| Debt Finance: | Clean Energy Finance Corporation |
| Debt Finance: | Federal Government |
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The SA Government has announced a combined $275 million in underwriting to ElectraNet for the South Australian section of the project. The CEFC's contribution will finance the NSW and Victorian sections of the project. The Federal Government reached an agreement with TransGrid to provide up to $182 million in underwriting support for new transmission lines from the south of Coleambally to Wagga Wagga. |
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Procurement
| Procuring Agency: | Procurement will be undertaken by ElectraNet in South Australia and Transgrid in New South Wales. |
| Tenderers (EOI/ROI): | Transgrid opened tenders for shortlisted bidders for design and construction of the NSW section of the project. ElectraNet issued EOIs to nine shortlisted participants from an open market engagement. |
| Shortlist: | NSW Section: TransGrid shortlisted three bidders to design and construct the NSW section, including CPB and UGL Engineering, an Elecnor Australia and Seymour White Constructions Joint Venture, and Quanta Power Australia. SA Section: ElectraNet shortlisted six participants and issued a Request for Proposals. |
| Successful Tenderer: | NSW Section: SecureEnergy, a Clough and Elecnor Joint Venture. SA Section: Downer |
| Procurement note: | Hyosong has been selected to supply five Phase Shifting Transformers for the project. |
| Related contracts: |
PROJECT HISTORY
| Oct 2017 | The SA Government first announced its support for the interconnector project in a pre-election energy policy statement. |
| Jul 2018 | The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) recommended the establishment of new transfer capacity between South Australia and New South Wales in its 2018 Integrated System Plan (ISP). The ISP provides long-term transmission system planning for the NEM and lists the new interconnector as a Group Two priority to be implemented by the mid-2020's. |
| Jul 2018 | South Australia’s transmission network service provider, ElectraNet conducted a project assessment for the proposed interconnector. The preferred route between Robertstown, SA and Wagga Wagga, NSW was identified. |
| Aug 2018 | The SA Government announced further funding support for the project, with a $14 million package to accelerate early works on construction. The NSW and SA Governments signed a MOU establishing a framework for co-operation to deliver the project. |
| Feb 2019 | The Project Assessment Conclusions report (PACR) was published, as part of the Regulatory Investment Test for Transmission (RIT-T). The AER commenced the formal process to consider ElectraNet’s request to determine whether the interconnector satisfies the RIT-T cost-benefit analysis. |
| Jun 2019 | The SA Government granted the Interconnector Major Project Status, recognising the economic significance of the interconnector to South Australia. |
| Aug 2019 | The NSW Government declared the project as Critical State Significant Infrastructure, requiring TransGrid to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the project. |
| Nov 2019 | The NSW DPIE received a request to prepare the Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements (SEARs) for the project from SA Border to Buronga. The SEARs was issued on 5 December 2019. |
| Jan 2020 | The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) approved ElectraNet’s Regulatory Investment Test for Transmission (RIT-T) application for the SA-NSW interconnector. TransGrid also announced a shortlist of three bidders for the design and construction of the NSW section to be built from the South Australian border to Wagga Wagga. |
| Feb 2020 | TransGrid opened tenders for shortlisted bidders for the NSW section of the project. |
| May 2020 | The NSW DPIE received revised request to prepare the Secretary's Environmental Assessment Requirements (SEARs) for a revised project scope. |
| Jul 2020 | The Federal Government announced that Federal planning approvals for Project EnergyConnect will be fast-tracked under a bilateral model between the Federal and state governments, with the aim of reducing the approval times by up to 50 per cent, from an average of 3.5 years to 21 months. |
| Jul 2020 | The DPIE issued the revised Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements (SEARs) for the Western Section of the project. Also, in its 2020 Integrated System Plan, AEMO identified Project EnergyConnect as a critical project and provided updated costings for the project. |
| Sep 2020 | The NSW DPIE issued the Secretary's Environmental Assessment Requirements (SEARs) for the NSW-Eastern Section of the project. The Federal Government also announced 'up to' $250 million to accelerate the project, alongside the NSW-Victorian Interconnector and Marinus Link. |
| Oct 2020 | ElectraNet announced that they have conducted a new cost-benefit analysis of the project and revised the forecast capital cost from $1.91 billion to $2.4 billion. The AER have confirmed that the project remains the preferred option despite the cost increase. |
| Oct 2020 | TransGrid announced the successful tenderer for the NSW section of the project. |
| Nov 2020 | The Environmental Impact Statement for the project's NSW-Western section was placed on public exhibition until 10 December. |
| Apr 2021 | The Australian Energy Market Commission denied TransGrid and ElectraNet's requested rule changes to bring forward cash flows for certain large-scale ISP transmission projects, including this project. This is the final decision after a draft determination was handed down in February 2021. |
| Apr 2021 | As part of the $1.08 billion State Energy and Emissions Reduction Deal, the Federal and SA Governments announced up to $100 million in joint underwriting for early works on the South Australian section of the project. |
| May 2021 | The Australian Energy Regulator determined the final cost for the project and issued its final regulatory approval for the project, with a revised cost of $2.28 billion. The Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) also committed up to $295 million in debt finance for the the NSW and Victorian sections of the project in a hybrid-financing structure with TransGrid, who committed to financing the remained of the NSW section and will recover these costs through user charges. The Environmental Impact Statement for the South Australian section of the project was put on public exhibition, closing 25 June. |
| Jun 2021 | ElectraNet confirmed it will invest $457 million to deliver the South Australian section of the $2.3 billion Project EnergyConnect from Robertstown to the New South Wales border. |
| Sep 2021 | The NSW Government granted planning approval for the western section of the NSW portion of the project. The westrern section includes works between the NSW and SA Border near Renmark Rd, Transgrid’s existing substation at Buronga, and the NSW and Victorian border near Monak. |
| Oct 2021 | ElectraNet awarded Downer a $200 million contract for the design, procurement and construction of a 330kV transmission line and 275kV transmission line between South Australia and NSW. Construction on the SA section is expected to commence in early 2022, with commissioning of the transmission lines expected to begin in 2023. |
| Jan 2022 | The NSW Government placed the Project EnergyConnect (NSW - Eastern section) Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on public exhibition from 19 January to 15 February 2022. |
| Feb 2022 | The SA Government announced construction had commenced on the SA section of the project. |
| Apr 2022 | The Federal Government released a Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Outlook (PEFO). The PEFO committed $182 million to underwrite the project's transmission lines between Coleambally to Wagga Wagga. |
| May 2022 | Early works construction commenced on the NSW – Western section of the project. |
| Jul 2022 | Main works construction commenced on the NSW - Western section of the project. |
| Sep 2022 | The NSW Minister for Planning granted planning approval to the Project EnergyConnect (NSW - Eastern Section). |
| Mar 2023 | Transgrid announced it secured $385 million in underwriting from the Federal Government as part of the Rewiring the Nation program to finance critical transmission supplies for VNI West, HumeLink and Project EnergyConnect. Transgrid also announced that procurement for these three projects will be bundled into one procurement program. |
| Aug 2023 | Transgrid signed a $100 million contract with ZTT Australia, a subsidiary of manufacturing company ZTT International, who will supply 17,500 kilometres of high voltage conductors to Transgrid as part of it’s Powering Tomorrow Together program. |
| Sep 2023 | Construction commencement NSW eastern Alignment. |
| Dec 2023 | Electranet announces that the SA section of the project is complete. |
| May 2024 | AEMO released an update to their 2023 Electricity Statement of Opportunities, noting that Transgrid has revised expected commissioning dates for the project. Completion of Stage One was updated to November 2024 (previously July 2024). Completion of Stage Two was pushed back to July 2027 (previously July 2026). |
| May 2024 | The first of four transmission lines was completed as part of Project EnergyConnect. Elecnor Australia finished construction of EnergyConnect’s Line One – a new double-circuit 330 kilovolt transmission line stretching 135 kilometres from Buronga in south-western NSW to the South Australian border. |
| Jul 2024 | AEMO's 2024 ISP confirmed that the full capacity timing for both Stage One and Stage Two of the project have been delayed since the draft ISP was released. Stage One is expected to be complete in December 2024 and Stage Two in July 2027. |
Estimated Total Cost
(2021)
Sector
Energy
Procurement approach
Unconfirmed |
Location
New South Wales |
South Australia |
Resources
Media releases
2020/11/03 - Submissions invited for EIS2021/04/08 - AEMC ruling decision
2021/05/31 - Project announcement
2021/05/31 - AER approval of costs
2021/06/07 - Project confirmation
2021/09/28 - Federal underwriting confirmed
2021/09/30 - Planning approval for western section
2021/10/12 - Design, procurement and construction contract awarded
2022/02/15 - Construction commencement
2022/09/14 - Environmental approval for eastern works
2021/05/31 (TransGrid) - Confirmation of NSW section of project
2019/06/25 - AER review of project proposal
2020/01/24 (AER) - Project approval
2020/10/08 - Cost benefit analysis
2023/02/07 - Transformer testing
2023/03/02 - Rewiring the Nation funding secured
2023/08/11 - Voltage conductors contract awarded
2024/05/30 - First line complete
Other
AER RIT-T DeterminationEnvironmental Impact Statement - EnergyConnect (NSW - Eastern Section)
South Australian Government Energy Solutions Paper
AEMO 2020 ISP
Contingent Project Application for the South Australian Component
AEMO - May 2024 Update to 2023 Electricity Statement of Opportunities
Electranet Project Assessment Draft Report - June 2018
SA Government Pre-Election Energy Policy - October 2017
AEMO 2018 ISP
AEMO 2024 ISP
