Local government leaders say they were in the dark over the New South Wales Liberal and National Party plan to “review and revise” the New England Renewable Energy Zone, and have raised concerns that it will cancel out “huge economic upside” for the region.
The NSW Coalition opposition on Wednesday announced a new energy plan that effectively ended longstanding bipartisan consensus on the state’s energy transition, scaling back regional renewable energy zones (REZs) in favour of REZs in major cities, including Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong.
Firmly in the LNP’s sights is the New England REZ, and plans to “remove the need for the proposed 500kV transmission line” that would link it to the main grid at the existing Bayswater Power Station near Muswellbrook – and that was just last month refined by EnergyCo to avoid a further 50-odd properties.
As Renew Economy has reported, this is a significant about-face for the NSW Coalition, which itself established the New England REZ in law back in 2020, as the state’s largest renewable energy zone, at 8GW.
The party argues the backflip is justified by the fact that the New England REZ is running over time and over budget – but it also claims that the REZ has failed to win the support of the communities that will host the new infrastructure, including the 250 km transmission upgrade.
