The South West Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) has a proposed capacity of 2.5 gigawatts of new renewable generation and storage capacity. The REZ is to be developed around Hay, stretching from the Murrumbidgeee LGA in the east to Buronga in the west, in the South-West Region of NSW.
It is anticipated that the 500kV eastern section of Project EnergyConnect (between Dinawan and Wagga Wagga) and HumeLink will provide transmission support.
Key Dates
| Oct 2021 | ROIs Open |
| Nov 2021 | ROIs for generator and storage projects in the REZ closed. |
| May 2024 | RFT for Access Rights and LTESA for Long Duration Storage opened |
| Jun 2024 | RFT for Access Rights and LTESA for Long Duration Storage close |
Procurement
| Procuring Agency: | EnergyCo |
PROJECT HISTORY
| Nov 2019 | The REZ was outlined in the NSW Government's 2019 Electricity Strategy, identifying its proximity to existing transmission infrastructure, the Snowy Hydro Scheme and potential options for new interconectors between New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia as key factors determining the REZ's location. |
| Oct 2021 | EnergyCo NSW opened Registrations of Interest for generation and storage project in the REZ, closing on 24 November. |
| Sep 2022 | Project EnergyConnect (NSW - Eastern Section) received planning approval from NSW Government. |
| Nov 2022 | The NSW Government formerly declared the scope of the REZ, which would extend from Buronga to Hay. NSW Government received 49 ROIs representing 34 gigawatts from potential generation and storage projects (more than 13 times the intended 2.5 gigawatt capacity). |
| Apr 2024 | The South West REZ was formerly declared by the Minister for Energy. |
| May 2024 | AEMO Services announced that the NSW Roadmap tender for South West REZ Access Rights and Long-Term Energy Service Agreements for Long-Duration Storage were scheduled to commence on 22 May, closing on 7 June. The tender will seek an indicative one-GW of Long-Duration Storage for projects connecting into existing network infrastructure or access rights networks in the Central-West Orana and South West REZs; and to allocate up to an initial 3.98 GW of Access Rights in the South West REZ. |
| Dec 2024 | EnergyCo released its inaugural Corporate Strategy, which included a goal to have the South West REZ complete by 2030. |
Sector
Energy
Procurement approach
Unconfirmed |
Location
New South Wales |
Resources
